Dogs of War
by jrrm64
Summary: A suticase nuke has been sold to Julian Benoit. Now Mossad and NCIS are in a joint operation to retrieve it.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

The Ottomans founded the old section of the city in the 15th Century, but before the Ottomans, there were the Romans, the Goths, and even Slavs. It was an ancient place. The architecture reflected this fact with a mix of Medieval European, Ottoman, and Austrio-Hungarian influenced buildings, as well as religious structures that ranged from pagan to Islam to Christianity. The constant mix of historic periods and style gave the old section of Sarajevo an ancient feel, but something darker pervaded the old city, something lurked just under the surface, something antediluvian and wicked. Maybe it was all the bloodshed and loss of innocent lives, which had occurred in Sarajevo through the decades, but it could not be argued that underneath the facade a preternatural evil permeated.

An elderly man, his skin pale from lack of vitamin D as he spent too many hours in doors, sat at an outdoor café. Blue green veins were visible in his sinewy hands, which he used to scratch a head full of white hair. Across from him at his table sat a dark haired younger looking man with a handsome. Like the older man, he was dressed all in black. The café was a short distance from Cathedral of Jesus Heart in the Stari Grad section of Sarajevo. Even though it was summer, a cool wind blew across their faces causing the priest to shiver, while the man inhaled filling his lungs with fresh air. Before they could begin their conversation, a comely waitress brought a plate of cevapi, which was meat grilled dumplings flavored with onions, garlic and spices, white rice, grilled pita bread, and some plain yogurt, and placed it in front of the large man along with a cup of glass of larger. In front of the older man, she placed a hot cup of coffee. She smiled at them and left.

"I feel cold," the older man stated in perfect non-accented English, as he sipped his hot coffee.

"That's because you spend all your time in libraries doing research, old man, it's left you without warm blood in your veins. You should spend more time outside. Now this is good fresh air. Enjoy it," the dark haired remarked with a slight Israeli accent punctuating his words then he started stuffing his face with cevapi. "I love this stuff, especially the amount of garlic they put in the meat."

"Garlic doesn't agree with my stomach," the older man responded with obvious disdain towards the food.

"Sorry that you don't enjoy good food. I guess cevapi is a young man's dish," he said as he shoveled the food into his mouth as if he was in a rush. This was habit he had picked up in a life where he was forever eating on the run.

"You're not that young a man, Malachi," the older man sniffed at the man.

"Being Kidon does that to you," Malachi Ben-Gidon said with a grin between mouthfuls of meat and pita bread.

"You should start thinking about becoming a control officer. Assassination is a young man's game," said the older man.

"Let's not waste any more time with shop talk. What is it you have for us, Gregory?" Malachi asked.

The older man sighed then spoke: "A Russian Mafia member by the name of Vladimir Newka is meeting with a man named Kristijan Wren, who we believe will interest you."

"Get the smug expression off of your face, Gregory. Is that all you have to give me or is there more?"

The smug expression faded from the man's face, as he considered the information he was about to share. Having a sense of superiority over a Paladin was enjoyable, yet what he had to say next stifled that joy.

"There is more," Gregory started in a halting manner. "The Russian Mafia was hired by Wren's employee to steal nuclear material, and now Newka has the item. It is an important that this transfer from one party to the other be stopped. We would be in your debt."

"There was a time would handle this yourself, but that was your country played with genocide," said Gregory.

Malachi shoveled some food in his mouth then he took a sip of his drink. He understood that men like Gregory fed Mossad information in expectations that Mossad would act. It was a game they played with each.

"All right. I'll stop the transfer of this item," Malachi broke the silence, "as a favor to you, my friend**." **

"Thank God. I can give you the address where Newka is staying. He is supposed to meet with Wren this evening and do the exchange somewhere in the city."

"I'll follow him this evening to the meeting and retrieve the suitcase, that it what it is, right?" said Malachi.

Gregory nodded.

Malachi wiped his mouth with his napkin and then tossed it onto his half-eaten plate of cevapi. He looked into the eyes of the older man. There was fear in his eyes, as well as hope.

"No more games, no more feeding each other just enough information, this is too important. Tell me who does this Kristijan Wren work for?" he asked.

"Julian Benoit, the nephew of Rene Benoit" answered the Gregory.

"Le Grenouille was shut down. He'd dead," said Malachi.

"Julian is his nephew and is reviving the family business," said Gregory. "A suitcase nuke will make him the biggest player on the block."

Malachi appeared physically to deflate when he heard the name and a suitcase nuke were verified.

NCIS

NCIS Headquarters was still under construction after the bombing by Harper Dearing. Lives were lost and the confidence of the agency shaken, but the agency's responsibilities remained. Operation Broken Arrow was being planned with Special Agent Don Dobbs in the lead, but Dearing's bomb killed Dobbs. Vance sat reviewing the two best remaining candidates: Special Agent Heather Mills and Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo.

Mills was experience in fieldwork overseas and undercover work. She was also a friend of Dobbs. Vance liked Mills. She was smart, beautiful, and competent; she was a good choice. Maybe the better choice of the two agents.

DiNozzo was mercurial, a cop at heart more than a federal agent. He was sometimes brilliant and sometimes as annoying a two year old child. He was also loyal to Special Agent Gibbs more than even the agency. Secretary Jarvis offered his opinion and it was DiNozzo. He said that DiNozzo's history with the Benoit Family could be used to keep him under control, but the final choice was Vance's.

Director Vance picked up Mills' folder and smiled. She was a damned good candidate.

NCIS

It was early evening, just past eight, and the sky was graying with a white full moon glowing. Malachi, dressed in black shirt, pants, and boots with a black Italian soft linen overcoat on, stood on a rooftop of a building wearing night vision binocular goggles looking down at Bascarsija, the Ottoman-Turkish style cobble stone main street of the old city, with its bazaar of shops and stalls selling jewelry, pottery, metalwork and food. He was looking for Newka who would lead him to Wren. Once he zeroed in on his target, he would use his years of training to do the rest of the work for him.

As people milled about shopping for items, bric-a-brac, as well as buying street fare food from stalls, Morgan watched patiently. Men and women moved about the streets in constant motion on a 72 degree night, a whir of greenish figures through the night vision goggles enjoying themselves. Suddenly, Morgan recognized a figure that quickly flashed by his sight. He switched off the night vision function. Deliberately, he searched the crowd until he picked up the form of the Russian mafia delivery boy, Newka. Once he found him, he took off his goggles and looked down in order to visually identify the figure he needed to follow. Spotting his target, he watched as Newka bought a piece of fruit, an apple, at a stand. He was a six foot tall, long blond hair man wearing black leather pants and a black jacket over a black silk shirt and carrying a large sliver suitcase.

Malachi breathed in the air taking in the smells of the city. He then headed for the roof door and made his way quickly down the four flights of stairs and out into the square. Quickly, he scanned the crowd until he picked up Newka. Blocking out the sounds and scents of everyone else, Malachi allowed his years of training and experience be his guide through the mix of 15th century and 21st Century odors that flavored the air. Within the stones and dirt of this old section of the city were the lingering odors of fallen Ottoman warriors and the many builders who began this place. It smelled foreign to Malachi. But those smells weren't alone. Malachi could recognize a whiff of the Hungarian spices and his imagination even thought his nose picked up a hint of the dull, oppressive communists, who had added their flavor to this area.

Malachi followed Newka with his eyes focused on his back. As they meandered through the city, Morgan knew where they were headed. Newka was headed for the empty Asim Ferhatovic Hase Stadium, formerly known as Kosevo Stadium, where the Olympics were played out not too long ago. Now it was a place for this war torn country's national football team to play in. But, it would also make a good place for an exchange, thought Malachi.

He watched as Newka walked to a gate that was supposed to be locked. Newka tested the door, which easily opened, and walked inside of the stadium. He waited until Newka had disappeared into the stadium then he made his own move to join him. Running at top speed, he ran towards a stadium wall. When he reached it, he leapt at the wall, grabbing hold of whatever he could get a grip on, and then he scaled it with some more difficulty than he anticipated. He wanted some height to do what he needed to do. As he reached the top of the wall he looked down to see that he was several stories up. The distance between him and the ground made his head swim for a moment, but he fought it off and finished his climb.

Going over the top of the wall, he inhaled deeply to gain his breath. The stadium was filled with green colored seats, a large green field for football and track and field events, and a reddish brown track circling the green field. It was a simple stadium, nothing too extravagant for this poor country. In the middle of the football field, Malachi spotted Kristijan Wren. Wren was a tall imposing, dark hair man in a very expensive Italian suit. He stood in the middle of the field holding his silver metal briefcase and waiting with an air of boredom. Newka was slowly making his way towards the man.

Reaching into the hidden sheath of his overcoat, Malachi drew out a .357 Glock with an ergonomic grip. Malachi began to rush down towards the field and Wren. Hurdling seats he sped down towards Newka and Wren, who heard him coming, stopped and turned to see who it was. His face lit up in a bright horrible smile, as he saw Malachi coming towards them. Newka reached under his coat, drew his own revolver, and started firing at Malachi, who returned fire. His bullets landed at the feet of Newka tearing up grass and soil, while Wren watched them with a lopsided grin on his face.

Hurdling the last railing Malachi was now on track level, also. He stopped all forward motion, went down on one knee, and fired four rounds into Newka, whose chest exploded with four bursts of red from the bullets. Newka fell to the ground dead. Malachi stood up feeling momentarily self-satisfied until he saw that Wren was still smiling, then his instincts kicked in and he was sure that there must be a sniper somewhere in the stadium. Moving to his right, it felt if someone had punched his right shoulder hard. He was shot. He stood there for a moment stunned by his own mistake until the next bullet exploded his chest. Falling to the ground, Malachi grimaced. He had failed. Wren had the nuke. Deputy Director David would be pissed at his funeral.

NCIS

Vance looked at the image of Eli David on the MTAC screen. The man seemed greyer and older. There was an aura of heaviness around him as if his responsibilities had become too great for him. Vance stood there looking at his friend and waiting for him to speak.

"Leon, Operation Broken Arrow is now a priority," said Deputy Director David.

"How bad?" asked Vance.

"A suitcase nuke," said David.

"What happened?" asked Vance.

"One of my people failed," said David. "Officer Ben-Gidon died trying to stop the exchange. I need your team in Israel in three days to start training and coordination. We must hunt down this suitcase and get it back before it is used in either my country or yours."

"I have three members ready but the originally chosen team leader is dead. I need to pick a new one," said Vance.

"Who are the choices, Leon?" asked David.

"Agent Heather Mills and Agent Anthony DiNozzo," said Vance.

Vance knew that Eli and DiNozzo had history. He would let Eli choose making the decision easier and giving him cover with the SecNav.

"Your choice, Eli. Mills or DiNozzo?" said Vance.

"I want Agent DiNozzo. I'll expect him and his team on Friday," said Eli.

Vance tried not to look shocked.

"Are you sure, Eli?" asked Vance.

"I am positive, Leon," said Eli.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One**

In a Tom Ford three-piece suit, if it was good enough for Daniel Craig's James Bond it was good enough for him, Tony DiNozzo sat across from Special Agent Ziva David staring into her beautiful chocolate brown eyes and wondering what had happened. He chose the restaurant because he thought it romantic but not too much so. After years of dancing around each other, years of heated flirting followed by moments of cutting disdain, he admitted his feeling for her while they were trapped in the elevator after the bombing. To his surprise, she didn't back away.

When he asked her to dinner so that they could talk, he was thrilled at how easily she said yes. The first hint that this evening might not go as planned was when she asked to meet him at the restaurant instead of letting him pick her up. When she showed up in a slinky black dress that made his heart skip a beat, he told himself he was being paranoid. They had history together and that was influencing him.

History. History just wasn't strong enough to describe what they had between each other. One of the highlights of their relationship had been when he killed her lover and she then threatened to kill him. She had left NCIS returning to Mossad for a suicide mission and when he thought she was dead, he found he needed to avenge her, even if it cost him his life. When they found her in Somalia, he decided he'd never push the broken and battered woman they found into a relationship. He'd allow her space to heal. Damn, he allowed her so much space that he almost lost her to CI-Ray, but Ray turned out to be a murderer and Ziva was the one who caught him.

Now, he was sitting across from after telling her that he loved her to hear the unexpected.

"I love you, too, Tony," Ziva said softly and hesitantly.

He felt a sense of relief at hearing those words then he looked at her face and knew the other shoe was going to drop. Her beautiful face saddened after she said those words. She stared into his Pacific ocean green eyes and he thought he saw the beginnings of tears.

"I don't think we should do anything about it, not now, not after what has happened to NCIS and to our team. Everyone needs time to heal," she said. "Ducky is in the hospital and so is McGee and Gibbs needs us to support him to find Dearing. He doesn't need us breaking his rules."

"But, Ziva, if anything this fucking madman has taught me that you can't wait forever because life is filled with too many surprises like that damned bomb which could have killed us. One of us could die tomorrow, so we have to stop wasting time," Tony said. "I don't want to waste any more time."

"Tony, we have waited this long. We can wait longer," she said.

"Zi," he said her name in a whisper.

"Tony, I don't know if I'm ready, either. After Ray, I…," she hesitated.

"I'm not Ray," he spoke up quickly barely hiding the annoyance in his voice.

He never liked CI-Ray, but he was willing to cut him slack because he wanted Ziva to be happy and he wasn't sure that he could make her happy. After all she had been through, she deserved happiness. He wanted her to be happy.

"I know you aren't Ray. But… I am just not sure this is right for me," she said.

"Well, that's different from not right now and we should take our time. Zi, you either love me or you don't. I know I love you," he said.

"It is not that simple. You are looking for simple and this is just not that simple," she said with some heat entering her voice.

She was starting to get angry that he wouldn't give her a graceful way to gain some distance here. She needed more time to think about this. If it was four years ago, she would have gone home with him and lost herself in sex, but she had changed. And, in the end, she wasn't sure that he had changed as much as her.

"I think we can skip dessert, don't you?" he sighed.

"Yes, I think that is a good idea," she agreed.

Tony stared at Ziva and she stared back. They were both annoyed with each other and not wanting to talk. Tony ran his right hand through his hair and exhaled. _Yeah, this didn't go like a thought it would. _

He waved at the waiter and made the universal sign for the check. Ziva stared at him, as he took his wallet out and then took a credit card out of his wallet. The waiter came over to their table, and Tony handed him the credit card and he left.

"You don't have to wait for me," he said to Ziva.

"I don't want to be angry with each other," she said.

"No angry, Zi," he said softly. "Go. I intend on have a drink or two at the bar."

"Tony," Ziva started to speak then changed her mind when he glared at her.

She knew him well enough to know that if she pushed they were going to fight and she really didn't want to fight. Ziva stood up.

"I'll see you in the morning," she said.

He nodded and watched her leave. _I'm done wasting my time. _

NCIS

Ziva arrived at seven-thirty in the morning to find Gibbs seated at his desk sipping his coffee. She looked over at McGee's desk, which was empty, then at Tony's, which was empty. McGee was due out of the hospital on Monday and Tony just was late for work. Ziva heard the elevator ding and felt her heart start to beat a little faster. She'd be the first that she didn't handle their dinner the night before well. Her relationship with Tony was complicated. Their time in the elevator made her realize how deeply she felt for him, but by the time she got to the restaurant, she wasn't ready for more than just being partners at work. She needed time.

Instead of Tony, Vance rounded the corner into the bullpen. He stopped at Gibbs' desk.

"When DiNozzo gets in send him up, Gibbs," he said.

"What do you want with my agent, Leon," said Gibbs, as he looked up from the paperwork he was reading.

"Keep telling you that he's my agent, too, Gibbs," said Vance.

"Doesn't answer my question?" Gibbs asked as he used his best stare down on Vance.

Before Vance could answer, the elevator dinged and within seconds, a jean wearing DiNozzo entered the bullpen. He had his backpack slung over his right shoulder and his i-Pod blaring music in his ears. Tony was startled to see Gibbs and Vance staring at him, as he managed completely to ignore Ziva.

"What?" he asked as he pulled the earplugs out of his ears.

"I need to speak to you, Agent DiNozzo," said Vance.

"Yes, sir," said Tony.

He dumped his bag behind his desk, tossed his i-Pod on his desk, and then his suede jacket on his chair, and followed Vance up to his office. Once they were in his office, Vance motioned him to sit at the conference table, while he grabbed four folders and initiated security measures so that their talk wouldn't be interrupted or taped.

Vance sat down at the table and slid the folders over to Tony.

"You are now temporarily promoted to supervisory agent and given your own team," Vance said.

Tony looked at the three personnel folders and the one marked Top Secret. His stomach churned.

"You will lead a team on a Special Projects operation. The operation is called Operation: Broken Arrow. An arms dealer has purchased a nuke suitcase from the Russian mob. We are working a joint op with Mossad to retrieve this suitcase before the arms dealer sells it. If we don't succeed then it will be your job to track the suitcase and make sure it isn't used," said Vance.

"Why me?" asked Tony.

"Deputy Director David chose you," said Vance.

"Why?" asked Tony.

Tony's assumption was that Eli David disliked him for several reasons not the least of with was turning an interrogation around and exposing him as a puppet master using Rivkin to gain his daughter back.

"The arms dealer in question is Julian Benoit, nephew to Rene Benoit. It appears that the nephew is attempting to revitalize his uncle's old business," said Vance.

"Benoit," Tony repeated the name with pain in his voice.

Under Jenny Sheppard's reign as Director, he seduced Rene's daughter Jeanne. He did such a good job he fell in love with her. The pain of that relationship still lingered.

"I know your relationship with the Benoit's was difficult for you, but we are talking about a nuclear suitcase. Mossad has already lost one officer on this op, Malachi Ben-Gidon," said Vance.

"Malachi. Other than the fact he deserted Ziva in Somalia, he wasn't a bad guy," said Tony. His stomach started to knot. This was going to be a dangerous one.

"We can't allow the damned thing to be detonated by terrorists," said Vance.

"I guess I'm leaving for Israel. When?" asked Tony.

"I have a Gulfstream flying you and your team out on Thursday night," said Vance.

"And my team?" asked Tony.

"Should be here in the morning," said Vance.

"What about Gibbs and the team?" asked Tony.

"Until further notice, they'll have to work with a TAD," said Vance. "I don't care if this Op takes one week or six months, just get that suitcase."

"Yes, sir," said Tony then he smiled. "Are you going to tell Gibbs or am I?"

"Do you want me to tell him, Agent DiNozzo?" asked Vance.

Vance smiled, "I'll tell him."

NCIS

Gibbs went up to Vance's office leaving Tony and Ziva alone in the bullpen. As Tony reviewed the folders which Director Vance had given him, Ziva kept looking up from her work hoping to get his attention. Finally, she tired of it, rolled up a piece of paper and threw it at his head. The scrunched of paper hit him in the forehead and fell onto his desk.

Instead of his usual retaliation, he picked the paper up and tossed it into his garbage can then went back to reading. This infuriated Ziva. She growled then whispered, "DiNozzo!"

Tony sighed then looked up, "Yes, Ziva."

Ziva got up from her desk and walked over to Tony's. Before she could see them, Tony closed the folders and placed his arms on them leaning on his desk. This evoked an expression of annoyance from Ziva.

"Vance has put you on another special assignment?" she asked.

"Something like that," he answered.

"Can you tell me about it?" she asked.

"No," he answered.

"Secrets. You are always full of secrets. This is why I'm not sure about dating you," she said.

This comment drew Tony's attention. She still held what happened with Jeanne against him. He knew that Ziva resented that he never shared the fact he was working with the team and working undercover at the same time.

"This is a secret, Ziva; this is an assignment I'm not allowed to read you in on. That will have to come from the Director," Tony told her.

"So it is important?" she asked.

She sat on the edge of his desk.

"Yes," he said.

Ziva inched a little closer to him and Tony started to feel a little warm under the collar.

"Dangerous?" she asked with a softness in her voice that made Tony wish the night before had gone differently.

"Probably," he said.

Ziva inched a little closer turning the corner of the desk so that she was almost beside him.

"Will you be gone?" she asked.

"Yes," he said.

"For how long?" she asked.

Ziva placed her hand on his right forearm and gently rubbed it. Tony fought the urge to reach up, grab her, and bring her in for a kiss.

"I don't know, Zi," he said. "And I'm not moving my arm, so you can see the folders."

"Do you think I am showing you attention to get information from you, Tony?" she asked.

"I wish it was a different reason, Zi, but it isn't," he smiled.

She stood up and walked back to her desk. Sitting down Ziva sat glaring at Tony. With a smile on his face, he went back to reading the folders. Gibbs came down the mezzanine steps returning to his desk. Tony looked up at him.

"Tonight after work, we need to talk," said Gibbs.

"Okay, boss," replied Tony. "Should I bring liquid refreshments?"

"I'll the steaks ready for us," said Gibbs.

Ziva looked from Gibbs to Tony. Now she was worried because Gibbs didn't seem angry but he seemed concerned. This wasn't good. She needed to find out what was going on. It was then that her phone rang. She answered it.

"Agent David," she said.

"_Ziva, it is Hannah_," a familiar voice said in Hebrew.

"_Hannah, this is a surprise_," Ziva replied in Hebrew. "_Why are you calling me_?"

"_Malachi has fallen_," she said.

"_How_?" Ziva asked.

"_On a mission. No one can get the exact information. Your father is being tightlipped. We can assume the operation is still on going and highly important_," said Hannah. "_I thought you'd want to know._"

"_Thank you, Hannah_," Ziva said.

She hung up and looked at Tony. Her instincts told her that Tony's new assignment had something to do with Malachi's death. She didn't like that.

"Gibbs, can I come tonight? I will bring dessert," Ziva spoke up. "We are a team and I would like to know what is happening with the team."

Gibbs stared at Ziva for a few moments then nodded his head, "Better be a good dessert."

"Boss," Tony said in a warning tone.

"Vance has given me permission to read the team in on this," said Gibbs. "If you need backup, it will be us."

"Okay, boss," said Tony. "I better pick up two six packs of beer."

"Ya think, DiNozzo," replied Gibbs.

NCIS

As they ate a nice cut of steak along with a baked potato in Gibbs' living room, Gibbs filled Ziva in on what Vance told him. Ziva played with her food as she listened.

"A suitcase nuke is now in the hands of an arms dealer willing to sell it to the highest bidder," said Gibbs. "Mossad and NCIS are attempting to retrieve it with a joint op, while the CIA, MI-6, and several agencies try on their own to find it and retrieve it."

"How are you involved in this?" Ziva asked Tony.

"I'm leading the NCIS Team," answered Tony. "We leave Thursday night for Israel."

"Israel? You shouldn't be the one going to Israel. There are still those in Mossad who hate you for the death of Rivkin," said Ziva.

"Your father chose me," said Tony.

Ziva was shocked to hear this. Her father requested Tony, it didn't make sense.

"Why?" she asked.

"I'd say the fact the arms dealer is Julian Benoit the nephew of Rene Benoit has something to do with it," said Tony. "I suspect he thinks I can use my past relationship Jeanne somehow. I checked today with our intel people and she is supposed to be living in Paris."

"No more doing good works in Africa," Ziva said snidely.

Tony looked over at her and easily read her expression of disdain for Jeanne. He shook his head then brought his hand up to rub his forehead.

"Zi, please, don't start about Jeanne," said Tony.

"What if my father wants you to seduce her again for information, will you do it?" she asked him.

"It's not like I have a girlfriend who I have to worry about hurting," he snapped.

Ziva scowled at Tony, while he glowered at her. Gibbs looked at the two of them and shook his head.

"Behave yourselves or I'll throw a bucket of water on you," Gibbs growled.

Ziva and Tony broke off their staring contest and settled back.

"Sorry, boss," Tony said.

"Listen, DiNozzo, I want you to stay in touch with me or with Ziva. Friday we get a TAD and Monday we get McGee back. We'll be given cases but if you need help it will be a priority. We don't need to see New York or DC lit up," said Gibbs.

"I'll be getting an encrypted smartphone. I'll text either you or Ziva with an update one a week," said Tony.

"You'll text Ziver if you want it read," said Gibbs.

"I'll text Ziva," said Tony.

"If it's an emergency then I want you to call and you call me," said Gibbs.

"I got ya, boss," said Tony.

"I still don't like you going to Israel," said Ziva.

"Well, hopefully, my temporary team will have my six," said Tony.

"I'm going to make coffee," said Gibbs, who stood with his empty plate in hand and walked off leaving Ziva and Tony alone.

"I am going to worry about you," Ziva said to Tony.

"Partners do that about each other," said Tony.

"Tony, I… I am sorry about last night. After all my bad relationships, I can't afford another mistake," said Ziva.

"So a relationship with me would be a mistake," he said.

"No," she paused, "it might be. I'm not sure."

Gibbs came back into the living room ending their conversation. He walked over to the armchair and sat down.

"What are you plans for tomorrow?" he asked.

"Arrange to have someone deal with my apartment and meet my team," said Tony.

"I'll deal with your apartment, just leave me the information," Gibbs replied.

"Thanks, boss," said Tony.

"Don't trust anyone, not even your team until you are sure about them. I want you back in one piece, DiNozzo. You're my senior field agent," said Gibbs.

"Gotcha, boss," said Tony.

"You better listen to him," added Ziva.

Tony looked at Ziva, "You want me back, too?"

"Yes, Tony, I want you back, too," she said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two **

After a night of listening to Ziva give him advice on who to trust and not trust in Mossad, as well as not to trust her father, Tony went home for a restless sleep. In the morning, he showered, changed into a grey Armani suit, white shirt, and black tie then headed off to work to meet his temporary team. When he arrived, the security at the front desk told him that three agents had checked in and were looking for him. They were told to report to the mezzanine conference room, so he took the side elevator up to the Director's level.

Walking into the conference room, he saw his three agents. The first was Trevor Scott, a ten year Navy Seal, five CIA paramilitary and recent recruit to NCIS OSP; Simon Call, former NIS field agent and current intel specialist; and Nan Tanaka, IS specialist with advanced degrees in computer programming from Caltech. Nan had been a marine. The Corp put her through school, so she was as loyal to it as Gibbs was. Once a marine, always a marine.

"The name is Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo," he said as he sat down. "Until I'm either replaced or killed, I'm your team leader for this op, so you have to follow my orders even if you don't like them."

Tony checked the expression on his three teammates. Nan and Simon kept their faces calm, but Scott rolled his eyes. Tony decided right there and then, who his party would be.  
"Now, I thought we could read through our operation file, get on the same page, and then get to know each other a little. How does that sound?" he asked.

"Peachy," smiled Scott letting every bit of sarcasm drip.

Tony gave Scott his best 'you already underestimate me' smile.

"You were a Navy Seal and Paramilitary Officer for the  
CIA, right?" said Tony.

"Right," said Scott.

"You know what that makes you at NCIS?" asked Tony.

"What?"

"Just another special agent," grinned Tony.

Nan and Simon laughed. For his part, Scott grinned and nodded his head in approval. With a quick hand through his hair and a clearing of his throat, Tony started the meeting.

NCIS

Gibbs walked into autopsy out of habit more than any other reason. His mind was preoccupied and he was in need of a talk with his old friend. Instead of Ducky, who was still in the hospital from a heart attack, though, Jimmy Palmer was in autopsy working on a body.

"Oh, Agent Gibbs, can I help you?" Jimmy asked.

"Just habit, Palmer," Gibbs said.

"Oh, you want to talk to Ducky," said Jimmy. "I know that feeling. I find myself talking to him even though he isn't here to answer me."

Gibbs nodded, "Maybe I'll go visit him later this afternoon."

"If you need to talk, I know I'm not Ducky, but I am a good listener," Jimmy offered.

Gibbs smiled, "I don't think so, but thanks for the offer."

Gibbs turn to leave, but Jimmy stopped him.

"You're going to miss Tony," said Jimmy.

Gibbs turned and looked at the young man. Maybe spending all that time with Ducky some of the older doctor's wisdom and insight wore off on him.

"It shows, Palmer," said Gibbs.

"No, I'm going to miss him, too," said Jimmy. "Tony occasionally bounces cases off me like you do with Ducky. I'm sort of his Ducky, JR."

Gibbs wondered if Tony talked to Palmer because talked to Ducky. Maybe it was another reason. Ducky also said that they were more alike than different.

"I should go upstairs," smirked Gibbs.

"I'm here if you need someone to listen, Agent Gibbs," said Jimmy.

"I'll remember that, Palmer," said Gibbs.

Gibbs walked out of autopsy. He had to take some time and visit Ducky at the hospital.

NCIS

Tony finished with his team. He sat looking at them and they sat staring at him.

"Get some lunch," he said then he looked at his watch. "Eight o'clock in tel Aviv so I have a meeting in MTAC with the Director to talk to Deputy Director David. Maybe I'll have more intel for you afterwards."

Tony got up and walked out of the room. The first one to speak was Simon.

"I checked his record and he's a glorified cop with undercover skills," he said.

"I'm not too sure about him," added Nan.

"I like him," smiled Scott. "I'll partner with him. I've got the feeling he's got a knack of getting into trouble."

"Your funeral," said Simon.

Tony hustled down to MTAC to find Ziva waiting for him at the door. From the expression on her face, she wanted to talk.

"Ziva, I don't have time," he said.

"I know. The Director is waiting for you to speak to my father. I spoke to Hannah. She is my cousin. You met her at the pool that time," she said.

He knew that 'that time' meant when they were searching for Ari. She didn't like speaking about her rogue agent brother. It was too painful.

"Yeah, I remember her," smiled Tony.

"She is now case office in Tel Aviv, a desk job. Her husband was killed two years ago and she and her daughter and son. My father is going to put you up in an apartment, but Hannah has offered her spare room for you. Take it. You won't be spied on there," said Ziva.

Tony smiled then he leaned in and kissed her cheek, "Thanks, Zi."

He then turned and exposed his retina to the biometric lock and then entered MTAC. As he entered, he saw that Vance was already speaking to Deputy Director David. He noticed that Ziva's father looked older and tired. Time and responsibilities were definitely catching up to him. Tony walked down the aisle and stood beside Vance.

"Ah, Agent DiNozzo, you join us," said Eli.

"I just finished briefing my team," Tony said.

"How are they?" asked Eli.

"More than competent," said Tony.

"I have arrangement for apartments for you and your team to stay in while you are in Tel Aviv," said Eli.

"Ziva, actually arranged for me to stay with her cousin Hannah while I'm there," said Tony.

A sly smile crossed Eli's face.

"Ziva wants you comfortable while you are here. She must still like you," he chuckled.

"At times," Tony replied.

"The team will be leaving tomorrow evening on a Gulf Stream. Until the ops brings them back to the US, they will be under your guidance, Eli," said Vance.

"Thank you, my friend," said Eli. "May I have a word with Agent DiNozzo?"

Vance patted Tony on the back then turned and walked up the aisle. Eli sighed as he settled into his chair.

"Agent DiNozzo, to use an American idiom I wanted to put all my cards on the table. I chose you because of your history with Jeanne Benoit and because you surprised me the last time you were in Tel Aviv," said Eli.

"I won't abuse or misuse Ms. Benoit," said Tony.

"But you will speak to her," said Eli. "This is too important for your conscience to get in the way."

"I understand the consequences if we fail," said Tony.

"Do you? If we fail either Jerusalem or New York or DC will no longer exist," said Eli. "I need you to be willing to do anything to retrieve that suitcase, Agent DiNozzo. Anything. Julian Benoit will join Rene by the time this is done. Can I count on you, Agent DiNozzo?"

Tony thought about the implication of his question. Eli wanted to know if he was willing to assassinate Julian Benoit. Rene was a charming man who made a fortune dispensing death. Julian killed to get the nuke suitcase, which showed a lack of charm and morals. He had to be stopped.

"You can count on me," said Tony.

"Good. See you soon," said Eli then the screen went blank.

Tony stood there for a moment staring at the blank screen. This was going to be something different. He always wanted to play 007. He just thought it would involve fast cars and beautiful women, not a nuke suitcase. Sighing, he turned and walked up the aisle to exit MTAC.

As he walked along the mezzanine, he stood for a moment and looked down at the bullpen. The TAD had arrived. He was good looking and in his late twenties and was instructed by Ziva what his duties would be. Gibbs sat nursing a coffee and ignoring the TAD. He slowly looked up at DiNozzo.

Tony gave his boss a lame wave. The idea of taking off for Israel without Gibbs as his backup was daunting. He'd grown use the ex-marine protecting his six and sometimes kicking it. Even though he liked the idea and challenge of his own team, he'd miss Gibbs' head slaps to keep him on the straight and narrow.

Suddenly, Ziva looked up at Tony. She stared at him and he thought he saw concern in his eyes. She then made the call me gesture, so Tony took out his smartphone and called her desk. Walking away from the TAD, she answered her phone.

"You wanted me to call," he said.

"Abby wants to see you. She is angry that you haven't told her about leaving for Israel, said Ziva.

"I forgot all about her," he sighed.

"Go down and talk to her now," Ziva ordered him.

"I will, ma'am," he said then hung up.

She looked up at the mezzanine just in time to see him walk away and towards the mezzanine elevator. Again, she regretted how their dinner ended up the other night and hoped she'd have time to talk to him before he went off to Israel.

NCIS

Tony strode into Abby's lab carrying a CafPow. The music was blaring, so he was able to sneak up on her and plant a kiss on her cheek and place the CafPow on her table. Dressed all in black with her white lab coat on, she turned quickly to glare at him. Her green eyes met his and they stared at each other for a few moments. Finally, she spoke.

"Were you going to tell me you were leaving?" she asked.

"I've been busy, Abs," Tony tried to justify his not telling her.

"Not good enough, DiNozzo," she said.

"Okay, I'm not good and I don't deserve your friendship. Is that better?" he asked.

"Better," she smiled.

She gave him a big hug, which he didn't fight.

"I don't want you to leave," she said.

Tony broke the hug.

"I have to go, Abs. This is important," Tony told her.

"Then you should take Gibbs to cover your six," Abby said.

"Can't do that, Abs, I'm in charge," he said.

"Oh, Tony," she hugged him again, "I'm going to be worried about you until you come home."

"Me, too, Abs. Me, too," he said.

NCIS

Gibbs slipped into the hospital room. Lying in the bed reading a book was Ducky. He was propped up and looking better. Putting the book down, he looked over at Gibbs.

"Hello, Jethro. I've been expected a visit," said Ducky.

"How are you feeling, Duck?" asked Gibbs.

"Better now that I'm in DC and not in Florida," he said.

"I always knew you worried too much about us," said Gibbs.

"There are no other people I'd rather worry about," he said. "Now tell me what is bothering, Jethro."

"DiNozzo is leaving for Tel Aviv with a team. A suitcase nuke is in the hands of an arms dealer and he will be working with Mossad to retrieve it," Gibbs stated.

"You're worried about him," said Ducky.

"I won't be there to protect his six, Duck," said Gibbs

"He is an excellent agent, Jethro. You can trust him to do what he must do," said Ducky.

"Doesn't mean I can't worry about him," said Gibbs.

Ducky smiled, "All we are missing is a glass a bourbon and things would almost seem back to normal."

Gibbs smiled and nodded. Just then, the door opened and Tony walked into room carrying magazines and a giftwrapped present. He looked at Gibbs then Ducky, "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, my boy," said Ducky.

"Just visiting," said Gibbs.

"I came with magazines, literary and scientific ones, and a present," he said then placed the magazines on the table beside the bed and handed him the present.

Ducky opened the present to see it was a Kindle Fire. He smiled at Tony.

"There are a lot books already downloaded on it and it is simple to buy others," said Tony.

"Thank you, Anthony," said Ducky. "You came by to say goodbye before leaving."

Tony looked at Gibbs then back at Ducky.

"Yeah, I'll be gone awhile," he said.

"Jethro told me," Ducky said. "How are you, Anthony? Are you ready for this?"

"I hope so, Ducky," said Tony.

"Well, my dear boy, I know so. You and Jethro have always been a formidable team. Many think it is because of Jethro alone, but it isn't. You are his equal," said Ducky. "Trust your instincts and when you need help, call Jethro."

Tony smiled, "Thanks, Ducky."

"And thank you for the reading material, Anthony," said Ducky. "I expect that the next time you see me I will not be in a hospital bed."

"Good. We can go out for dinner then," said Tony.

"Now, go and ready. Pack your bags and get your life in order," said Ducky.

"Get going, DiNozzo," said Gibbs. "Make sure everything is on order before you go on a mission."

"Okay, boss," said Tony.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three**

Riding in a Gulf Stream usually excited Tony, but not this time. This time he felt nervous, slightly on edge. It was his first time back to Tel Aviv since the time they left Ziva there with her father. Ziva ended up on a suicide mission to Somalia and for a time he thought she was dead, gone from his life forever. That was the first moment he realized he loved Ziva. Of course, even though he admitted to himself that he loved her, his relationship with her didn't change after they saved her from Somalia.

"Well, boss," said Trevor, as he sat down opposite him.

Both men were dressed similar, cargo pants, white shirts, and jackets. Scott's jacket was a light windbreaker and Tony's jacket was a black linen blazer.

"You know my skills," Trevor said. "I want you to know that I am willing to do anything to see this operation completed. There is no way I'm allowing a suitcase nuke to go in a US city to killing American citizens. I've spent too many years as a warrior for this country to let that happen."

"What are you trying to tell me, Scott?" asked Tony.

"I'm telling you that whatever you need done, I'm your man," he said.

Tony grinned, "I have the feeling that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"Casablanca. Good movie," said Scott.

"You like movies?" asked Tony.

"They pass the time," smiled Scott.

Scott sat and appraised Tony's mood. He could tell he was on edge beyond the operation. It was time for some more bonding.

"What has you on edge?" he asked Tony.

"I have a history with Mossad," said Tony.

"Don't worry about them. Most of them couldn't even pass BUDs training," he smiled.

"You've deal with Mossad before?" asked Tony.

"You'd be surprised of the number of ops I was on which were credited to Mossad. The CIA and Special Forces sometimes like it when Mossad gets the credit," he smirked.

"What's your favorite war movie?" Tony asked him.

"Hell, if it's just pure pyrotechnics and the buzz of war then it's _Apocalypse Now_. But if I want a good movie that gets more than my adrenaline going then it's the _Deer Hunter_," he told Tony.

"This is this," Tony quoted Deniro's character from the film.

"This ain't something else," Scott furthered the quote.

"Good movie," said Tony.

"I've got your six, boss. Don't worry about Mossad," said Scott.

"Looks like you are my de facto senior field agent," said Tony.

"I'll be your babysitter, if I need to be," Scott said with a smirk. "You've been given the lead for a reason, so I am assuming we need you. I'll keep you upright and functional and I expect you to lead."

Tony smiled, "I think you and I are going to get on fine."

"Swell," said Scott then he looked at the front of the plane where Call and Tanaka sat with laptops.

"Good with computers," he said looking at them.

"I know," said Tony.

"This ain't going to be solved with computers," said Scott.

"Call was NIS," said Tony.

"Doesn't look like a field man to me, boss," said Scott.

"Tony. Call me Tony," Tony said.

Scott nodded, "Call me Trev."

"Don't worry. When we are going into field we should have at least two Kidon with us," said Tony.

"Now assassins we can use on this op," smiled Scott.

"Yeah, I have a feeling Julian Benoit has Mossad target on him," said Tony.

"Guy who screws with the Russia Mafia and doesn't pay for the suitcase nuke has a death wish anyhow," said Scott. "Anyways, I figure if he sells that damned suitcase to Jihadist then I'll cut his throat myself."

Tony nodded. _Yeah, James Bond isn't as much fun as in the movies. Looks like I better stop thinking like a cop on this one. _

"We should get some shut eye," said Scott, who then leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "We are getting in at 0600 hours. I bet Mossad wants to start working right away."

"You probably right," said Tony, who closed his eyes and put his head back.

"One of the rules of warfare, get rest when you can because you never can when you want it," said Scott.

This definitely was going to be a break neck roller coaster ride, thought Tony.

NCIS

The plane landed at Ben Gurion International Airport. It was six in the morning and Tony had managed a couple of hours of sleep during the flight. As the steps went down and they grabbed their luggage and started down the steps to be greeted by four Mossad officers and two armored SUVs waiting for them right off of the tarmac. A rugged looking man with brunette hair dressed in safari shirt and cargo pants walked towards them.

"My name is Officer Teo Gold," he said. "Deputy Director David had us picked you up. You must be Special Agent DiNozzo."

He offered Tony his right hand. Tiny shook it. Teo was two inches shorter than Tony at six feet tall, but he looked to be in as good a shape as Trevor Scott.

"I guess you here to drive us to Mossad Headquarters," said Tony.

"Actually just you. Everyone will be transported to their apartments. I've been told you have made separate arrangements," said Teo.

"Someone arranged it for me," said Tony.

Teo turned to Call, Tanaka, and Scott and pointed at the second SUV.

"That is your ride. Shower, rest, eat because this afternoon you will be picked up for meetings," said Teo.

Tony nodded at them and they filed over to the SUV and into it. Following Teo, who got into the driver's seat, Tony got into the passenger seat with a Mossad agent in the back. The SUV pulled away at a breakneck speed causing Tony to have to grab onto the dashboard to stabilize himself.

"Does everyone from this country drive like a madman?" he growled.

"Who have you driven with?" asked Teo.

"Ziva David," he answered.

Teo laughed heartily at this answer.

"Ziva's driving skills are legendary," said Teo.

"Do you know Ziva?" asked Tony.

Teo turned and looked at him and smiled. It was the kind of smile that didn't need words. He knew her and knew her very well. The thought that Ziva had slept with this man suddenly made Tony feel uneasy and irritated.

"Jesus, is Mossad a dating service as well as spies and assassins?" growled Tony.

"I have to admit that there is a great deal of fraternization that goes on between officers," smiled Teo.

"I bet," Tony replied with a smirk.

The SUV sped through the white city towards Mossad Headquarters. Tony fell silent as Teo concentrated on avoiding causing any major accidents. They finally pulled up and into the underground garage of Mossad HQ. The SUV pulled into a parking spot near an elevator. Teo turned off the car and looked at Tony.

"You and I will take the elevator to the Ops Center. You are one of the few non-Mossad to enter our Ops Center, which means that Deputy Director David seems to trust you. I'd like to know why," he said.

"My charming personality," grinned Tony, who then got out of the SUV. _I'd like to know why, too. _

"I protect Israel and to me Mossad is Israel," said Teo.

"Listen I work for NICS, but I protect the US. I know the difference. Now let's see your boss, so we can get started getting that suitcase," stated Tony.

He walked up to the elevator and waited for Teo. Teo came up beside him and placed his on the biometric plate and the door opened. Once they were inside he pressed his thumb on the subbasement and waited until it beeped then the elevator dropped leaving Tony's stomach on the first level. The doors open to a large theatre of operations with several large screens showing either satellite feeds or real time action being fed from a camera. There were twenty people either sitting at computers or tactical layouts coordinating and giving orders in Hebrew. Standing off to the side and watching this all was Eli David.

Eli wore an off-white linen suit with a white shirt and no tie. He looked tired and angry. Tony knew what it was like to face an angry Eli David. He was a formidable man. Teo and he walked up to him. Eli caught a glimpse of Tony out of the corner of his eye and smiled, as he turned to face him.

"Agent DiNozzo, I have you back in Israel," he said.

"Yes, sir, you do. I hope I get to leave this time, too," he said.

"We shall see," Eli smiled.

"I take it that I'm here for a briefing, Deputy Director," said Tony.

"Call me, Eli, and you are here for a conversation," he said then he turned and barked some orders in Hebrew.

A room with glass walls and one of those fancy high tech tables that McGee liked was emptied out quickly. Eli looked at Tony and Teo.

"Come with me," said Eli.

They followed him into the room and shut the door. Eli took off his jacket and hung it up on the back of chair then looked at Tony.

"Julian Benoit is not Rene. He is a sociopath. Rene refused to let him into the arms dealing business, so he got involved in white slavery, drugs, and murder. The bastard built up a nice syndicate, too, yet he remained jealous of Rene. To him Rene what he wanted to be, classy, wealthy, and above the fray. When Rene was killed he decided to replace him and revenge him," said Eli.

"He blames me as one of the people behind Rene's fall, right?" asked Tony.

"Jeanne Benoit does, so he does," said Eli.

"Jeanne?" asked Tony.

"She is currently living in Paris and not working as a doctor. She is living off her father's legacy. He left her millions. From what we know she is living a hedonistic life the exact opposite of the life she led before you," Eli said.

"What good does she does for us in this op?" asked Tony coldly.

He didn't want to talk about Jeanne and he definitely didn't want to hear that she was ruining her life because of him.

"Julian worships her. He socializes with her whenever he can," sighed Eli. "One of our problems is that Julian has a gift at disappearing. We know he has places in Dubai, Tuscany, Venice, and somewhere we don't know about yet. She does, though."

"You want me to talk to her," said Tony.

"I want you to get through to her," Eli said harshly. "The woman used to be a healer and now she is one of those bored wealthy women who collects men and compliments. I need you to get through to her."

"Why me?" Tony asked.

"Because as much hate that she has for you does not come without love," Eli answered.

Tony felt like he was gut punched. Love. He knew he didn't love Jeanne any longer but he did have deep feelings for her such as guilt and a great deal of sadness.

"So, first part of my op will be to go to Paris," said Tony.

"No, the first part is you acquaint yourself with who you will be working with and we see about your skill level," said Eli.

"Skill level?" asked Tony.

"Leron is one of best trainers. He will put your team the paces to see if you are field ready," said Eli.

"We don't have time for bullshit," said Tony.

"Making sure that you can handle yourself is not bullshit. It is life and death to Mossad," said Eli. "As for the rest, Teo heads the team you will be working with."

Tony looked at Teo, who had a big grin on his face.

"Now Hannah will be here in twenty minutes," Eli said looking at his watch. "She will take you home, let you get settled, maybe a nap, and we are having lunch at my place."

NCIS

Hannah drove Tony in her Landcruiser to her home Her home was in the North District along the Yarkon River. As they pulled into the driveway of a good size white Bauhaus home, Tony looked at her skeptically.

"My husband came from a wealthy family," said Hannah. "And my father raises Arabian horses."

"And your uncle is Deputy Director of Mossad," said Tony.

"The David Family is an important family in Israel. We are raised to serve and, of course, Eli is devoted to Israel," said Hannah.

"At the expense of his family," retorted Tony.

Hannah turned off the car then turned in her seat and stared at him. He was struck that she looked vaguely similar to Ziva. Hannah was attractive and Ziva was beautiful.

"The past few years have been rough on my uncle. Israel is under constant attack and losing Ziva has finally taken its toll on him. He misses her and wishes she were back in Israel," said Hannah.

"So, he can send her on another suicide mission," said Tony.

Hannah sighed. He could see the sadness in her eyes.

"He wasn't thinking like a father but as Deputy Director David. He was no longer sure of her loyalty so he needed proof, so he sent her off on a mission, which should have been cancelled the moment it went wrong on the ship. Ziva being stubborn went through with the mission anyhow. She handed something to prove to herself as well as her father and I think they both now have regrets," said Hannah.

"I think Ziva hates Eli and still hasn't gotten over what happened to her in Somalia. But what do I know, right?" he smiled.

"You know a great deal, Agent DiNozzo. You are the man who killed that fool Rivkin and the man behind saving Ziva in Somalia. Eli recognizes who you are; you are the man who loves his daughter but doesn't seem to what to be with her," said Hannah.

"Or the man who wants to be with her but doesn't know if it is possible," said Tony. "It doesn't make a difference right now, though. Now, I have to concentrate on this op and doing whatever needs to be done to succeed."

"You sound like Eli right now," smiled Hannah. "Come on, Tony, I want you to meet Anna, my daughter, and Aaron, my baby boy."

"Oh, kids. I'm not great with kids," said Tony.

"You'll be fine with them," she said. "Anna looks just like Ziva as a girl."

Tony got out of the vehicle with his luggage over his shoulder and followed Hannah into the house. Immediately, a six year old girl came running out of nowhere and stopped dead when she saw Tony. A whirlwind of energy became momentarily a shy little girl, as she looked up at Tony with big brown eyes.

"Anna, this is Tony. He will be staying with us," Hannah said.

The young girl rattled off a few sentences in Hebrew at her mother. Tony stood and waited for her mother to translate.

"Anna speaks English but she is acting shy at the moment," said Hannah. "I think she is interested in you."

"Ah, well, I guess I'm flattered," Tony said then paused for a moment, "but mainly I'm not really good with kids."

Hannah laughed, "It doesn't matter. If Anna decides to befriend you then you won't have a say."

"Oh, goodie, she acts like Ziva, too," said Tony.

"Don't laugh. She is already a yellow belt," smiled Hannah.

"Oh, goodie, and she can probably kick my ass," sighed Tony.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

Tony stared at his lunch, cucumber and tomato salad, humus, falafel, and shwarma with pita bread. Eli David and Teo along with Liat Tuvia and another woman sat at the table. Tony sampled his food. He had to admit he was a big fan of Middle Eastern food.

"I would prefer a steak but my doctor is forcing me away from meat," said Eli. "He says it has to do with stress and my blood pressure."

He pointed to Liat, "You know Liat and Teo."

Liat looked at Tony as if he was something she stepped in and was clinging to her shoes, which brought up his defenses. It was time to put on the masks.

"And finally this is Noa Geron. She is part of Teo's team," said Eli.

He looked at Noa. She was a hot brunette with grey eyes. She smiled at him and he returned her smile with his best movie star smile.

"Where's my team?" Tony asked.

"Eating somewhere else," said Eli.

Tony took a swig of his Maccabee Beer. It was ice cold, which made it perfect. He had to admit he'd forgotten how hot Israel was.

"Are you comfortable at Hannah's?" asked Eli.

"Very," Tony answered.

"How is Anna?" he asked.

"A little heart stealer," smiled Tony.

He had to admit that Anna was not only adorable but she had stolen his heart within the first ten minutes he spent with her. It was an odd thing for him to feel since his usual reaction to children was fear and awkwardness.

"She reminds me of Ziva, fiercely independent and strong willed but loyal and loving if she likes you," said Eli.

Just the name of Ziva coming out of Eli's mouth made Tony's back stiffen. He had to remember whom he was dealing with.

"May I speak honestly, Director?" asked Teo.

"Of course," answered Eli.

"Why did you choose Agent DiNozzo? I reviewed his record and it isn't remarkable," said Teo.

Tony stared at Teo for a moment, but instead of getting angry, he laughed. This made Eli smile.

"Not remarkable. As a police officer, he was a remarkable investigator in Baltimore. In Philly, he brought down a mafia family undercover virtually on his own. At NCIS he has worked with Leroy Jethro Gibbs for over ten years, a remarkably difficult man, and that in itself proves something," said Eli. "Agent DiNozzo likes to be underestimated but I learned not to do that. Is that good enough for you, Teo?"

"Yes, sir," said Teo.

"You compliment. Suddenly, I'm even more afraid to be here," said Tony.

This drew a strong laugh from Eli.

"Tony, I know that you believe I hate you for various reasons, but you're wrong. In my business, you can't afford to allow emotions cloud your decisions. You have certain skills and a background, which makes you perfect for this operation. I am going to use you to protect Israel and you are going to let me in order to protect the US," said Eli.

"Sounds like the type of relationship that would be starring Bogart and Sidney Greenstreet in the movies," said Tony.

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot that you are a film fanatic," said Eli. "I gather you are Bogart in this movie."

"Well, we were both born in New York to wealthy families," said Tony.

"I always preferred John Garfield to Bogart," said Eli.

"_The Postman always Rings Twice, Body and Soul, and Destination Tokyo_, not a bad choice in actors, just not Bogart or Cagney," smiled Tony.

"Maybe we'll watch a movie together if this goes well. I could use a vacation," said Eli.

"I pick the movie," said Tony.

NCIS

Tony, Teo, and Eli once again found themselves in the glass room in the operations center. On the hi-tech table, Teo had brought up a picture of Ivan Petrov and Kristijan Wren.

"Petrov is the Russian Mafia's specialist in wet works. He was Spetsnaz, a highly trained killer. Now Wren is a different story. He has survived from childhood by killing, stealing, and not trusting anyone. He belongs to Julian Benoit and both of them and a team of men for each other them are in Paris keeping an eye on Jeanne Benoit. It appears that the Russian mob wants their money that they have been paid for procuring the suitcase nuke and Wren is there in the background checking on Ms. Benoit. We know Julian is found of his cousin, but we don't believe he is willing to allow her to become a pawn against him," explained Teo.

"Who do you have watching her?" asked Tony.

"I have two Kidon keeping an eye on her," said Teo.

"The moment I approach her it is going to set off some fireworks," said Tony.

Eli nodded in the affirmative, "We need her. She either knows where her cousin's secret little getaway is or she has an idea where it is."

"Why do you think that?" asked Tony.

"Because Julian admired Rene and Rene had a nice little hideaway he used to us," said Eli.

"Wouldn't Trent Kort know where that is?" asked Tony.

"Mr. Kort is now officially a rogue agent, who has stolen millions of dollars from CIA accounts. He protects himself by doing security for leaders in Jordan, Libya, and living in Riyadh. The CIA would like to plant him, but can't get to him right now, especially since the current administration doesn't want any public assassinations in the Mideast," said Teo.

"What about Mossad?" asked Tony.

"Until we have a good cause we have handcuffs on when it comes to Kort. Believe me when I say that I'd love to take those handcuffs off and grab the bastard and interrogate him," said Eli.

"Okay, he's backup plan B," said Tony.

"If Jeanne Benoit doesn't pan out, we will grab him," said Eli.

Tony smiled, "Did I ever tell you that he tried to have me killed?"

"I know," smiled Eli.

Tony was starting to realize that Eli chose him because he not only knew the players, except for Julian, but also had motivation when it came to Jeanne and Kort. Eli David the chess master had made him a piece on his board. He just didn't know if he was a pawn or rook or bishop, or maybe even a knight.

"Tomorrow, you and your team meet Leron, who will test you to see if you are ready for field work," said Teo.

"He'll test me and Scott. Call and Tanaka are information gatherers. Tanaka is a computer specialist and Call is NIS, intel and intel analyst. I thought they could work support, but it will be me and Scott in the field," said Tony.

"Leron will like testing a US Navy Seal and a cop," said Teo.

Tony glared at Teo, "The last Mossad officer to underestimate me this much came home in a body bag."

Eli smirked and looked at Teo. Michael Rivkin underestimated DiNozzo to the point that he got himself killed.

"Michael was drunk when he attacked you otherwise he'd have killed you," said Teo.

"I thought the vaunted Kidon were deadly even when drunk," said Tony.

"Teo, calm down. We are working as partners on this. I know you were friendly with Michael, but Michael was a fool. He drank too much and killed one federal agent and tried to kill Agent DiNozzo. He was out of control," said Eli in a voice that said don't argue with me.

"Yes, sir," said Teo.

"Agent Call and Tanaka will be put on the support team," said Eli. "In Paris we will keep the field team to you, Teo, Agent Scott and Noa."

"Yes, sir," said Teo.

"Anthony, Leron will test for your weaknesses tomorrow and give you a few pointers, but you will not be stopped from going out in the field. Now if Agent Scott doesn't live up to Navy Seal background I will recommend a replacement for him," said Eli. "We can't afford too many amateurs out there on this one."

"And I'm only an amateur," said Tony.

"Anthony, I have a feeling that you are a gifted amateur, but you are still an amateur. The intel business is filled with dangerous professionals. I want you to survive this operation," said Eli.

"I'd like to see that happen, also," said Tony.

Eli looked at his watch.

"I see that it is time for us to check in with Leon. Anthony, come with me," said Eli.

They exited the glass room. Eli pointed to a technician who nodded yes.

"Usually, I talk to Leon from my office, but this time I'll do it from here," he said.

They walked over to one of the large screens. Suddenly, Vance appeared. He was chewing on a toothpick.

"Leon, Anthony and a small team will leave for Paris in two days," Eli said.

"Jeanne Benoit?" Vance asked.

"Of course," Eli replied.

"Are you ready for this, DiNozzo?" asked Vance.

"I'm ready," said Tony.

"I want her brought Washington for debriefing," said Vance. "She is a French and American citizen."

Eli looked at Tony for a moment. He made a cut sound motion to one of the techs.

"Do you believe she'll talk to NCIS more than Mossad, Anthony?" asked Eli.

"She has a grudge against NCIS. I bet she'd like to extract a pound of flesh for whatever information she has from NCIS. Mossad doesn't have much to offer her," said Tony.

"We have you," smiled Eli.

"There's that," said Tony.

Eli made a gesture to unmute the sound.

"Doe, Leon. If she comes with us, we will ship her immediately to US," said Eli.

"Excellent," said Vance.

NCIS

Teo drove Tony back to Hannah's home around seven in the evening. After a silent ride, he got out and then rang the front doorbell. A few moments later, Hannah opened the door with a sleeping Aaron in her arms and Anna hiding behind her.

"Finally, you are here. I have dinner in the oven for you," she smiled.

"Thanks," he said putting on a false smile. The last thing he wanted was another Middle Eastern meal.

"Anna, bring him into the kitchen, while I pout Aaron up to bed," said Hannah.

Anna humbled her response in Hebrew then took Tony by the hand and pulled him to the kitchen. Once they were in the kitchen, she pointed at the oven. Tony sighed then he walked over and opened the oven to see a pizza box. A sincere smile cracked Tony's face. He took the pizza out of the oven, placed it on a counter top, and opened the box. It was a large sausage with extra cheese.

"Anna, I love your mother," chuckled Tony.

"You should thank Ziva for that. I talked to her today and she said your favorite food is sausage with extra cheese pizza," said Hannah, as she entered the kitchen without Aaron.

Picking up a slice and biting into Tony wanted to moan with pleasure. He then looked at Anna, who was staring at him.

"Can she have a slice?" he asked.

"She can," smiled Hannah. "We don't keep kosher and she loves pizza."

Tony grabbed a slice for Anna and handed to her. She smiled then took a bite.

"Good," she said.

"I agree," Tony said then he looked at Hannah. "How is Ziva?"

"Worried about you," said Hannah.

"Yeah, well, I can handle myself. She should know that," Tony replied.

"You and Ziva are close, aren't you?" Hannah asked.

"We're part of the same team and have been for six or seven years," he said.

"It's more than that, isn't it?" she prodded.

Tony looked Hannah then took another bite of his pizza. She was perceptive and she knew Ziva well.

"I have feelings for her, but that doesn't mean anything. Ziva's been hurt by her last few boyfriends, and she really isn't looking for someone right now," said Tony.

"Ahh, Ziva is being Ziva," said Hannah.

"What do you mean?" asked Tony.

"My cousin has always pursued men that she thought suited her rather the men she loved. Men she actually loves she avoids because they scare her. She doesn't want anyone to have that sort of power over her, like her father. She loved him and look what happened," said Hannah.

"Between my issues and her issues, we are going to be just teammates and that's all," said Tony.

"She cares for you deeply, Tony," said Hannah, "I can tell."

"Yeah, well, I'd like to think she does, but right now I need all my attention on the coming op. My personal life doesn't count. All that counts is this op," he said.

"It's that important," she said.

"Yeah," he said.

NCIS

Leron had Tony run a mile at full tilt then stop, pull his weapon, and fire. His aim was better than he thought. All those years of Gibbs drilling him to put two in the torso and two in the head had paid off. Shot to kill because the other person will.

"Not bad," said Leron.

He was a man made of granite and marble. Leron was roughly sixty years old and had been trainer Mossad officers for the last twenty years.

"Now, you, Mr. Navy Seal, you could be Mossad," said Leron.

Tony looked at Trevor. Where he had sweated through his tee shirt from exertion and heat, Trevor had some sweat but not too much.

"I thought we could do some Krav Maga then have a few cold drinks," said Leron.

"Sounds like an idea," said Trevor.

Tony was bet over and resting his hands on his knees.

"How about a long cold shower first?" asked Tony

"That, too," said Leron.

The gym was filled with officer practice everything from kickboxing to Krav Maga. Leron grabbed ten officers and Trevor and Tony and brought them into what he called his torture room. It was hot, confined, no windows, or breakable furniture.

"This is simple. These ten men will attack you and you will do your best to prevail. Kick, elbow, scratch, and whatever else you can think of to survive and prevail," said Leron.

"When do we know it's over?" asked Tony.

"When you are down and can't get up or you win," said Leron. "Go!"

Trevor and Tony stood side by side as the ten Mossad officers attacked them. He didn't know how long it lasted, but he was sure that it was painful. What a short eternity, he did his best to survive until he was finally knocked to the ground. He attempted several times to fight his way back to his feet but without prevail. Finally, it was over.

"Well done, Mr. NCIS," said Leron. "You did better than I thought."

"Sure," said Tony from the floor.

"No, really," Leron said then he looked at Scott. "You make me respect Navy Seals."

"Damn, I'm bruised and sore all over my body," said Scott.

"A few drinks will take the bruises away," said Leron.

"Anybody want to help me up," said Tony from his position on the floor.

Scott walked over to Tony and helped him off the floor. Tony's nose bleeding and he swore that he needed to be dipped in an ice bath. Once on his feet, Tony smiled.

"Okay, shower then drinks," said Tony feeling tired and almost old.

"And tomorrow starts our operation," said Scott.

"Yeah, tomorrow starts our operation," said Tony.

Tomorrow brought Paris and Jeanne.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Five**

Paris, the Latin Quarter, it had the look and feel to it that any romantic growing up on films and dreams would think of Paris. Tony had to admit that he was one such romantic. It was part _American in Paris_ and _Diva_. Tony, Teo, Trevor, and Noa checked into a cheap hotel in the area and began surveillance of Jeanne. Much to Tony's surprise, she seemed changed but happy. He watched as she strolled down the street with a beret on, smoking a cigarette, and flirting with a younger French man.

They had picked her up Rue Laplace and followed her about in teams. During the afternoon, she spent time at Shakespeare and Company browsing for books. She looked happy and Tony was once again going to rip her life apart. Teo called Noa.

"You and Scott pick her up from us and keep a close eye on her," he ordered.

"_Yes, sir_," she said.

"Call us when she settles in for the night," said Teo.

"_Done_," said Noa.

He hung up and put his smartphone away. Teo looked at Tony.

"We should go back to the hotel and rest. Tonight, you should re-introduce yourself to her," he said.

"Yeah, lucky me," Tony said.

A taxi ride back to their rooms and Tony spent the next three hours trying to sleep by staring at a ceiling. He couldn't help but replay the regrets and guilt of his past with Jeanne. There was a time he thought he loved her, but that really wasn't him. It was his cover, Tony DiNardo, who loved Jeanne, just like it as his cover that had appealed to her not him. It wasn't really him.

After enough hours had passed, Tony got dressed in a simple grey Armani suit he had brought with him. Along with a white dress shirt, no tie, a Glock 22 that Teo picked up for them in Paris, he called Trevor to find out where she was.

Trevor gave him the directions to a café where she was seated outdoors having dinner alone. Before he left to do to the café, Teo gave him and ear bud.

"We will be watching for Russian Mafia and Julia's men. You want to make it clear to her that she is in danger and needs to trust you if she wants to live," said Teo.

With ear bud in his ear, he headed off. Along a street filled with café, he found Jeanne seated by herself enjoying a light meal and a glass of wine. Since the sun was setting, Tony had to fight off the romantic look of the moment. _Jeanne hates you, but you are doing this because this was too damned important. _

Tony crossed the street unseen by Jeanne. She was too busy enjoying her roasted chicken. He walked up to her table.

"Hello, Jeanne," he said.

She looked at him. He watched as her the expression in her eyes went from surprise to sadness and maybe some hate. Without asking, he sat down.

"I don't suppose this is a coincidence, is it?" she said.

"No, Jeanne, it's not," he said.

"I hate you, Tony," she stated.

"I'm sorry about that," he said.

"Since I know you don't love me and you must have some use for me," she said bitterly.

"Julian Benoit has started up Rene's business," said Tony.

"I'm not Julian," she said.

"You know what he does for a living leads to death, Jeanne. You're a doctor," he said.

"Not any longer, Tony," Jeanne said then took a sip of her wine.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because being a doctor reminded me of you," she spat.

"I really am sorry, Jeanne," Tony said.

In his ear, he heard Trevor's voice, "_Three thugs walking towards the café. They look like Russian Mafia_."

"_Follow and wait until last moment to react_," said Teo.

"I don't have time for this, Jeanne. He's the situation: Julian screwed over the Russian Mafia and now is in possession of a very dangerous item. I'm afraid that the Russian are going to use to get to Julian," explained Tony.

"So you are here to save me from the Russians and then use me to get to Julian," she said. "You are no better than them."

"If us you stay alive," said Tony.

"_Just like we thought the moment someone they don't trust contacts her, the Russia decide to scoop her up. They are almost on you," _said Teo in his ear.

Tony looked and saw the thugs coming down the street at him.

"_Noa and I will be there soon with transportation," _said Teo.

"I can't believe I once loved you," said Jeanne.

"Get down," Tony yelled at her, as he grabbed her with his left hand and forced her down, while with his right hand he drew his sidearm.

The Russians started pulling their weapons, which were Personal Defense Weapons. They looked like they had FERFRANS AR-15's. Tony fired off four shots hitting one of them in the torso with a compact spread. He went down dead.

Grabbing Jeanne by the hair, he forced her down to the ground using the table to protect them from the fire. The table was getting eaten up, when he heard four shots. He looked up to see Trevor standing there in jeans and a trench coat aiming at the dead bodies.

A grey Peugeot 3008 pulled up with Teo driving and Noa in the passenger seat. Teo stuck his head out of the window and yelled, "Get in!"

Trevor helped Jeanne up, while Tony got up and felt a little dizzy. Looking at him, Trevor grabbed some linen napkins from a table and tossed them to Tony.

"You got clipped in the right side, boss," said Trevor.

Tony looked down and saw his white shirt turned red and sighed.

"Let's go," he said.

The three of them ran to the Peugeot, as two black Mercedes SUV's came bolting down the street towards them. Getting in the back it was a tight fit. Teo pulled away at a breakneck speed being followed by the SUV's. Noa looked into the back to see Jeanne almost sitting in Trevor's lap in order to get away from Tony, while Tony applied pressure to the wound in his side.

"It doesn't look too bad," she said.

"Where's you get your medical degree Mossad U?" he sarcastically asked.

She smiled, "We will lose them then find a safe spot to contact Mossad with an evac plan for her."

"Until them we do my favorite: E and E," said Trevor.

Tony glared at him.

"Evade and escape," smiled Trevor.

Tony looked at Jeanne. She was staring at him with hatred in her eyes. He put his head back and closed his eyes not caring if he fell asleep or pass out just as long as he didn't have to look at her.

NCIS

He woke up in a dingy room in some town on the way to Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. To be exact they were going to Calais where a private boat was going to take Jeanne to England where a plane was going to fly her to DC and NCIS. NOA was working on stitching up Tony's wound when he woke up.

"You will have a beautiful scar," she said. "I am good at this."

He looked into her blue eyes and saw amusement. _Another fucking insane Mossad chick. _

"What the plan?" he asked.

"In the morning we will be at the Port of Calais where a private boat manned by NCIS and Mossad agents will ferry her away to safety. We will go on to the Calais-Dunkerque Airport with the new passports that the men in the boat will have for us and take a private flight to Israel," she explained. "There will wait and train while NCIS gets us actionable intel."

"Where is Jeanne?" he asked.

"With Trevor," she said. "She has all but attached herself to his crotch not that he wants her there. I have a feeling she is trying to get even with someone. Do you know who?"

She laughed at asking this question. Tony snarled.

"Have a sense of humor, Agent DiNozzo," Noa said. "I have left many broken hearts because of operations."

"Well, this one is a long story and it's none of your business," Tony said. "And it's Tony not Agent DiNozzo."

"Okay, Tony," she said almost sounding like Ziva when she first showed up at NCIS. Take these."

He popped four white pills into his mouth and swallowed without water.

"What were they?" he asked.

"Two of the pills were to make sure you don't get an infection and two were very strong sedative. Good night, Tony," she chuckled.

"Oh, fuck," he mumbled.

That would be the last time he'd take any of the pills she gave him.

NCIS

An annoyed and tired Jeanne Benoit sat in the conference room by herself, as Vance, Ziva, McGee, and Gibbs viewed her on a plasma TV in Vance's office. She was smoking a cigarette not caring that an agent told her she couldn't smoke in the office. Jeanne Benoit was beyond caring about such rules right now.

"Well, according to the agents who escorted her, she'll cut a deal and she hates and wants harm done to Agent DiNozzo," said Vance.

Gibbs smiled while Ziva scowled.

"She is a screw," Ziva said.

"Shrew," McGee corrected her.

"Yes, a shrew. Tony saved her life in Paris," said Ziva, who had read the after action report.

"She blames him for every bad thing in her life," said Vance.

Gibbs looked at McGee, "Go get me a good cup of coffee and a sandwich for her."

"Yes, boss," said McGee.

"Make it quick," said Gibbs.

McGee hustled out of the Vance's office leaving just Ziva, Vance, and Gibbs.

"How's DiNozzo?" asked Gibbs.

"Fifteen stitches," said Vance. "It was a graze."

"For that bitch," mumbled Ziva.

"What did you say, Agent David?" asked Vance.

"Nothing, sir," said Ziva.

Gibbs looked at Ziva with interest. Sizing up the expression on her face, the interest turned to worry. He then looked at Vance.

"What's the deal that we have to offer her?" asked Gibbs.

"WitSec, but she will have access to her money, which will be made available from a Swiss Bank," said Vance.

"In other words, a new identity but a life lived well off doing whatever she wants," said Gibbs.

"But it doesn't start until Julian is taken down," said Vance.

Gibbs nodded.

Jeanne finished her second cigarette. She knew that it was a nasty, unhealthy habit, but it was better than becoming an alcoholic. After her time in Africa when she started to think about Tony and her father again, she started to drink. She no longer cared about work and didn't have to because Rene Benoit had left her millions. After months of self-indulgence, she decided to forgo alcoholism and instead moved to Paris to experience of things she remembered her father introducing her to. They were what he called simple pleasures.

Suddenly, the door opened and Gibbs walked in with a cup of coffee and a sandwich. He placed them both in front of her. She tasted the coffee, it wasn't bad. Next, she looked at the sandwich, a corned beef on rye. She sampled it and found that it was pretty good. She took another bite since she was hungry.

"I thought you might need some food," said Gibbs.

"Aren't you kind, Agent Gibbs?" she said.

He could hear the bitterness in her voice. There was no reason to try and loosen her up or befriend her. Gibbs leaned slightly forward and stared into her eyes with his cold steel blue eyes.

"We need to know where Julian Benoit secret little hideaway is," said Gibbs.

"What can you give me?" she asked.

"What do you want?" he asked her.

"Agent DiNozzo's career ruined," Jeanne said.

"Ain't going to happen," smiled Gibbs.

"What can I have?" she asked.

"WitSec will set you up with a new identity along with access to your money. What do you want to be, Jeanne?" he asked her.

"I want to be a doctor again and I want to live in Vancouver," said Jeanne.

"Once we have Julian Benoit, we can give you that. Where can we find him, Jeanne?" asked Gibbs.

"Like my father, Julian is careful. He knows there has to be one place on earth where he can hide and no one can find him. Of course, there is someone who knows my father's secret spot and Julian's. He has your answers. Do I still get what you offer if all I have to offer is a name?" she asked Gibbs.

"Yes, as long as the name turns out," said Gibbs.

"Trent Kort knows all the secrets," she said.

Gibbs exhaled.

NCIS

Tony took a job along the beach in Tel Aviv. He was sweating profusely when suddenly Officer Geron appeared beside him. She was sweating in her jogging gear, which was just shorts and a tight fitting tee shirt, but nowhere as much as him.

"I have found you," she said.

"I was ordered to build up my stamina if I wanted to be allowed in the field for the next part of the op," Tony replied out of breath.

He stopped jobbing and looked at the beach goers. It seemed like such a nice idyllic place and a simple suitcase could remove it from the map. No wonder Eli worried so much.

"Jeanne Benoit gave up information," said Noa.

"Where is Julian?" he asked.

"She doesn't know," said Noa. "But she gave us the name of someone who does."

Tony took a deep breath. He knew he wasn't going want to hear this name.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Trent Kort," she said.

"Damn it, I knew God hated me," sighed Tony. He was hoping to avoid Kort. They despised each other. Hell, Jeanne liked him more than Kort. "You have up-to-date intel on him."

"He is no longer in Riyadh helping the Saudi Royal Family," she said. "He is in Dubai being protected by the House of Said, Jordan, and others."

"And we need to get him," said Tony.

"Eli is waiting to talk to you," said Noa.

"Dubai," he sighed. "My father likes Dubai, but I never actually wanted to visit there."

"Well, now you are going to get to visit. Let's hope we can get out of there," she chuckled, as they headed back towards Mossad.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six**

Eli, Teo, Noa, Trevor, Liat Tuvia, Call, and Tanaka sat around a conference table. Everyone had either a tea or a coffee in front of them, as they reviewed the file on Trent Kort.

"CIA wants in on this," said Call.

Eli looked up at the ma with an expression of disdain.

"The CIA tends to misbehave in the Middle East and blames us for it," said Eli. "It is not appreciated."

"They may have assets we don't," said Call.

"Call, shhh," said Tony.

Call looked at Tony and sighed. This was his specialty and he was being ignored. Trevor had to hide a smirk.

"We need a plan to enter Dubai and extract Kort without causing an international incident," said Teo.

"We should exfil via boat," said Trevor.

"Kort spends a great deal of time on a yacht. That had possibilities," said Noa.

"Who does the yacht belong to?" asked Eli.

"Prince Omar Ibn Alwaan of Saudi Arabia," said Noa.

"Oh, damn," sighed Tony. "He's a business associate of my father."

Eli smiled. He looked over at Tony and started to think about what he knew about Tony's father. Anthony DiNozzo Senior bankrupt the trucking company his father left him, but that didn't stop Anthony Senior. He had a natural gift of selling people, a charming man, who was able to parlay ideas and marriages into a jet setting life. The man spent money foolishly burning though millions, as his son became a cop and then a federal agent. The father and son had similar gifts with charm and the ability to seduce women, but that was all they shared. In many ways, Anthony DiNozzo, JR. was more like his mentor Gibbs then his father.

"There is a story to tell. I know it, Anthony, so tell the story," said Eli.

"Omar has two sons. The youngest is a freewheeling playboy, who decided he wanted to be an aviator, a fighter pilot. He thought he was Tom Cruise in _Top Gun_. Someone made an attempt on his life and NCIS was tasked with protecting him and finding the assassin. It turned out that his older brother was behind the attempts on his life. He was embarrassed by his brother's Western lifestyle," explained Tony.

Eli looked at Noa, "The oldest son is radicalized. We should investigate him."

"I'll have a file opened on him," said Noa.

"Good," said Eli. "We need get Kort out of Dubai and to Israel for questioning."

"Israel?" asked Tony.

"We are running out of time. Benoit could have sold the suitcase already. Mossad needs to question him," said Eli.

"CIA wants in on this. They want Kort," said Call.

Eli looked at the agent with disdain not bothering to hide his dislike for the CIA.

"The CIA enjoys misbehaving in the Middle East then letting Mossad take the blame. I don't work with them unless I have to work with them," stated Eli.

"They have sources and capabilities that could come in handy, though," said Call.

Tony noticed that Eli was starting to get annoyed. He didn't need to deal with that, so he decided to take control.

"Call, you, Tanaka, Trevor, Agent Noa, and whoever she suggests have twenty-four hours to come up with a plan of action," Tony ordered. "Get it done."

Eli grinned then looked at Tony, "Are you trying to take my job from me?"

"I wouldn't be able to do your job, Deputy Director David," said Tony.

"I'm not too sure of that," said Eli.

"Once that have a plan of action, you and I can review it and make a decision," said Tony.

"I agree," nodded Eli.

NCIS

Ziva sat in Gibbs' living room. Gibbs, Ziva, McGee, the TAD Don Wilson, and two other agents were tasked with protecting Jeanne Benoit until she went to WitSec. To do this Gibbs decided to bring her to his home, which meant Ziva was staying with him, McGee and Wilson alternated shifts, and the two other agents spent overnight in a car outside of the house. Right now Gibbs was taking advantage of a nice fall day by cooking out at his grill in the backyard. McGee entered the house, took off his black trench coat and sat down on the sofa at the opposite end of Ziva.

"Where is she?" asked McGee.

"The witch is upstairs," said Ziva.

"I know," said McGee, "Tony has had bitter ex-girlfriends in the past but she takes the cake."

"And the cupcakes," added Ziva.

McGee looked at her as if he was going to correct her then decided not to.

"She was telling anyone who'd listen to her the other day just how much of a jerk Tony is," said McGee. "At first I thought it was funny, but then I remembered how devastated Tony was after her."

"He loved her," stated Ziva in a clipped tone.

"I know," agreed McGee.

They both stopped talking as they heard the creak of a floorboard then the footsteps of Jeanne Benoit coming down the stairs. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she walked over to the armchair and sat down.

"Hello, Agent McGee," she said.

"Is there anything I can get you, Ms. Benoit?" McGee asked.

"No thank you. Please call me Jeanne," she said.

"Oh, and please call me Tim," said McGee.

Ziva rolled her eyes, got up, and walked out of the room. She continued into the kitchen and then out into the backyard where Gibbs was grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, as well as corn.

"Who is with Jeanne?" he asked.

"McGee. She is charming him," said Ziva.

Gibbs smiled.

"I don't like her, Gibbs," said Ziva.

"She been through a lot Ziver," said Gibbs.

"She hates Tony," said Ziva.

"I blame Jenny for that. She's manipulated DiNozzo into that op and then pushed him to go to bed with her," said Gibbs.

"She did?" asked Ziva.

"DiNozzo told me eventually. He has nothing but regrets when it comes Rene and Jeanne Benoit," said Gibbs. "Try to be understanding."

"Like she is with Tony?" asked Ziva.

"He hurt her. He didn't want to but he did," said Gibbs.

Suddenly, they heard an explosion from the front of the house. Ziva and Gibbs pulled their weapons and ran into the house. When they got to the living room, they saw that a car was on fire and McGee had his weapon pulled and Jeanne behind him.

"Car bomb, boss. Our men," said McGee.

"Goddamn it," said Gibbs.

Ziva looked at Jeanne, "Someone wants you dead."

Jeanne cowered behind McGee and her eyes filled with tears.

NCIS

Tony sat in the living room of Hannah's house. She was putting Anna to bed. He took out his encrypted smartphone and sent a message to Ziva.

_We are going after Kort in Dubai. Plan not worked out yet. Tell Gibbs I've got my head on a swivel. _

He placed the smartphone down on the coffee table in front of him. For a moment, he considered sending a more personal message to Ziva, but he decided not to send her one. His emotions were still a little raw when it came to her.

"So, did you check in with NCIS?" Hannah asked as she came into the room.

"Duty calls," he said.

She said on the sofa beside him. Hannah was a tired single mother. Tony looked at her. She was younger than Ziva, yet she had two kids and was raising them with the help of a nanny, who took care of them when she was at work riding a desk at Mossad. He respected her and now felt kind of embarrassed that he stripped down to his underwear the first time he met her.

"I know Ziva worries about you," she said.

Tony yawned so hard he thought his jaw was going to break for a moment. Once the yawn passed, he took a moment to think of Ziva. He knew he was at an impasse with her. Either they were finally going to have a relationship or he needed to distance himself from her.

"You've talked to her?" asked Tony.

"She emailed me," said Hannah.

"That's nice," he said

"How long have you two been dancing around each other?" Hannah asked.

"Since day one when we met," he answered.

She smiled, "And you are still alive. You must have her confused. There is something about you Anthony DiNozzo that must drive her crazy."

"We've had our moments," he smiled.

Suddenly, his smartphone started vibrating. He picked it up to see that she texted him back.

_Someone is trying to kill Jeanne. She blames you._

He sighed. Either Julian or the Russian Mafia was trying to kill Jeanne. He then chuckled as he imagined her ranting and raving that it was his fault. _I have to call NCIS and talk to Vance. _

"I've got to get back to Mossad HQ, so I can contact NCIS via MTAC. How can I get there?" he asked.

"I'll let you borrow my car," Hannah said.

"I can't do that," he replied.

"Yes, you can. Make your call then come back here and get some sleep," she said. "If I'm not mistaken you are going be back in the field soon. Sleep while you can."

He smiled and nodded.

NCIS

As Balboa's Team was sent to the car bombing and killing of the two agents, Gibbs pulled the rest of his people back to NCIS. He put an upset Jeanne in the conference room along with McGee, while he, Ziva, and Wilson started their own investigation into who killed the two agents. Ziva got on the phone and immediately called Hannah.

"Shalom," Hannah answered the phone.

"It is Ziva. Is Tony there, Hannah?" she asked.

"No, he got a text from you and left for Mossad so he could talk via MTAC with Vance," said Hannah. "What is wrong, Ziva?"

"This is a dangerous case and an important part of team is in Israel so I am worried about him," said Ziva.

"Is that all?" asked Hannah with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"What do you mean by that?" Ziva demanded.

"Ziva, Agent DiNozzo can take care of himself," said Hannah.

"You don't know him like I do. He has a tendency of getting into trouble and getting hurt," Ziva said.

"If you say so, cousin," said Hannah. "If I were you, I'd stop coming up with excuses to worry about Agent DiNozzo and to think about how much you really do care for him. Your concern for him is more than professional and more than simply friends."

"Hannah, I do not have time for this. I will talk to you later," said Ziva.

NCIS

Tony stood on the ops center of Mossad waiting to be connected with Vance in MTAC. The connection was made as Tony started to yawn, which amused Vance.

"I thought you did your best work late at night, Agent DiNozzo," said Vance.

"It's midnight and it's been a long day," said Tony.

"Well, it's six o'clock here and my dinner has been ruined. I have two dead agents. I want to know if it's the Russian Mafia or Julian Benoit trying to kill Miss Benoit," said Vance.

"I'll see if we can get some intel on our side about this, Director," said Tony.

Vance was about to say something else when Gibbs and Ziva came storming into MTAC and walked down beside Vance. With two dead men, Gibbs was making himself an active member of this operation.

"Agent Gibbs, is there a reason you are here?" asked Vance.

"The attempt of Jeanne's life makes us an active part of this, Leon. I want to know what is going on," said Gibbs.

Vance opened his mouth to argue then realized there was no winning the argument. He turned and looked at Tony on the screen.

"What's happening on your end?" asked Vance.

"We are going after Kort in Dubai," said Tony.

Ziva's stomach knotted. This wasn't the kind of thing Tony did. He was an investigator not an assassin or covert operative. This kind of thing took years of training, which he didn't have. He was an amateur involved in a high priority operation. Was this Eli's idea of a joke or retribution? Was he trying to get Tony killed? She wanted to be there to have his six.

"Okay, Paris went well enough, but Dubai could cause a major incident if it doesn't go well," said Vance.

"We are in the planning stage, sir," said Tony. "The intention, though, is to keep the op small and to grab Kort and get him to Israel as quickly as possible."

"Eli wants Kort in Israel?" asked Vance.

"I agree, Director. We are running out of time. So far, there are no indications that the suitcase has been sold, but the longer our eyes are off it the greater chance we permanently lose track of it. Kort knows where Julian Benoit's secret hideaway is. We need the information," said Tony.

"If you get him then I'll keep the CIA off your ass," said Vance. "Good job, DiNozzo. Let me know what the plan is when you have one."

"I will, sir," said Tony.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs spoke up, "keep your head on a swivel and don't trust anyone."

"I understand, boss," said Tony.

"I expect you back. McGee's not ready to be my senior field agent yet," said Gibbs.

Tony smiled.

"I'll expect another call from you," said Vance then he made the motion to kill the feed and the technician killed it.

Vance turned and looked at Ziva and Gibbs.

"Let's keep Miss Benoit alive and find out who was behind the bombing," said Vance.

"Sir, are you sure Tony is the right person for this operation?" asked Ziva.

"He's done well up until now and Eli wants him. Are you worried about him, Agent David?" asked Vance.

"I wouldn't be if I was protecting his six," said Ziva.

"Let's hope he doesn't need and everything goes smoothly from here on out," said Vance.

Gibbs remained silent. He knew that Tony was capable of handling the operation. He trained him. Yet, he still worried about his SFA because family worried about family.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Seven**

Tony woke to see Anna staring at him by his bed. She had a mischievous smile on her face, as he tried to wake up.

"Morning," he said.

"Boker Tov," said Anna.

"Why are you staring at me?" he asked the girl.

"Mommy told me to wake you for breakfast," she said.

"You weren't waking me. You were staring at me," he said.

"I know. I've decided I like you better asleep then awake," she giggled.

"Funny, I do, too," he said.

Her giggle became a laugh then they both heard Hannah call.

"Anna, are you behaving?" she yelled.

Tony slowly got out of bed, "Let's go tell her that you have been fine."

"Okay," she said.

Anna took Tony's right hand and led him out of the guest bedroom and down the hall to the kitchen. When they got their the nanny was feeding Aaron and Hannah was cooking breakfast.

"Did she behave waking you up?" Hannah asked as they entered.

"Like the princess she is," said Tony.

"Sarah means princess," said Anna. "Anna means He has favored me. Right, mommy?"

"Right, my love," she replied.

"Well, Anthony is of Latin origin and I haven't a clue what it means," smiled Tony.

"You're not Anthony, you're Tony," said Anna.

"You got," he said picking her up and tickling making her laugh, "I'm Tony."

"Okay, calm down. I'm making pancakes," said Hannah.

Tony stopped spinning the girl and looked at Hannah.

"Have you washed up?" she asked.

"No, I'll go wash up," he said.

He put Anna down then gave her a tickle bringing out the giggles.

"You two behave," said Hanna with a smile. "Go wash up, Tony."

"Yes, ma'am," said Tony.

NCIS

Ziva walked into the conference room with a sandwich and a juice for Jeanne, who was seated at the table looking bored. She placed them down in front of her.

"Turkey and muenster and an apple juice," said Ziva.

"Certainly not what I was used to in Paris," said Jeanne. "Have you been to Paris, Agent David?"

Ziva could see she wanted company, someone to talk to her. Reluctantly, she answered her.

"Yes, I have been," she said.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Jeanne said.

"Yes," said Ziva.

"Romantic also," Jeanne smiled.

"I suppose," said Ziva.

"You weren't with the right person when you were there if you didn't find it romantic," said Jeanne.

Ziva wanted to smile. She did find Paris romantic, especially the last time she was there, and that was because of Tony. They were there to escort a witness home, but he was like a boy reliving an Audrey Hepburn movie. She couldn't help but find it romantic.

"Last time I was there it was for NCIS," Ziva said.

"Oh, well, I love Paris. I'm going to miss it," she said.

Jeanne unwrapped the sandwich and took a bit. She made a scrunched up face, as if to say she didn't like it, but took another bit anyway. Ziva wanted to leave, but Gibbs had told her to keep Jeanne's company. She was starting to think it was a form of punishment, especially since McGee seemed to enjoy her company. Ziva sat down.

"Where is Agent McGee?" asked Jeanne.

"Running some searches on the computer," said Ziva.

"He's seems like a tech guy, smart," said Jeanne.

"He is very good with technology," said Ziva.

"Agent DiNozzo I bet isn't. He's better at lies and deceiving people," said Jeanne letting some of her bitterness show.

"Agent DiNozzo and Agent McGee and I work together," said Ziva.

"Really," sighed Jeanne. "Have you slept with Tony, too?"

Ziva stomach knotted. She wanted to reach across the table and slap the woman and tell her to get over it. Jeanne wasn't the only one hurt by her relationship with Tony. He was hurt, too.

"No, I haven't slept with him," she answered.

"Smart woman," smiled Jeanne. "He can't be trusted."

"Really I trust him with my life," said Ziva with a sniff of annoyance.

"You, do, really?" asked Jeanne. "How could you?"

"I wasn't always NCIS. There was a time I was Mossad working here as a liaison, but I left to go back to Israel. I was given a mission that led to my being taken captive by terrorists. Mossad thought I was dead, so did NCIS, but Tony was the one who came after the terrorist who took me. He, McGee, and Gibbs, but it was Tony who planned it and led the mission. They found me and brought me home," explained Ziva.

She left out many details, like the reason she returned to Mossad was because Tony killed Michael or that he told her that he couldn't live without her when he saw her again. No, what she needed to know was that she trusted Tony with her life.

"Sounds like he cares for you," said Jeanne with a hint of jealousy.

"We are friends and teammates," said Ziva.

"Sounds like more," said Jeanne.

"It isn't," said Ziva.

"You're lucky then. I recommend not getting involved with him. After the great sex and underneath the charm is a lying bastard who uses people," said Jeanne. "You really can't trust him."

Ziva closed her eyes for a moment to keep her temper. Her father was a arms dealer selling death to the highest bidder and she was preaching about trust. If she knew Gibbs wouldn't fire her she'd beat some sense into the woman. Ziva opened her eyes and looked at Jeanne.

"You were an assignment. It was an assignment that did not go according to plan and was pushed along by our then director but you were an assignment. He was deceiving her; he was doing his duty," Ziva told her.

"His duty," Jeanne repeated the words letting the bitterness show.

"Yes, his duty. Tony is excellent at undercover work, though he does not do it much anymore. Do you know why?" Ziva asked her.

"No, why?" said Jeanne.

"Because he hurt you and still feels guilty about it. For some reason, which I do not see, he fell in love with you. We all make mistakes and you were his," said Ziva.

Jeanne glared at her. Ziva stood up to leave.

"If you need anything else I'll send up Agent McGee since you enjoy his company," said Ziva.

She turned to leave wanting to get away from that woman before she really lost her temper. Ziva started for the door when Jeanne stopped her.

"You love him," she accused Ziva.

Ziva turned around and stared at her.

"You do not know what you are talking about," said Ziva.

"No, I do know. I've been in your shoes. You love him," said Jeanne.

"Whatever," said Ziva who turned to leave.

"If he loves you and isn't lying to you then don't let go of him. He is worth it," said Jeanne.

Ziva felt her breath catch and her heartbeat increase. She didn't respond but walked out of the room. Was he worth it? She and Tony would be a risk. If it didn't work out, the team might not survive and even if it did work out and Gibbs found out, the team wouldn't survive. _He is worth it. _Those were Jeanne's words, thought Ziva. She would know.

NCIS

Gibbs sat on a booth at his favorite diner just outside of DC. He needed some coffee, food, and time to think. DiNozzo being away from the team worried him. He knew Tony was capable enough to handle whatever was being thrown at him, but he was used to be there to protect his six. Gibbs took a sip of his coffee.

"Agent Gibbs," said a Russian accented voice.

Gibbs looked up to see a bald man with tattoos visible on the back of his hands and on a tattoo of a dagger on his neck.

"I'm Gibbs," he said.

"I'm Ivan Petrov," he said then sat down across from Gibbs.

"Russian Mob, what can I do for you, Ivan Petrov?" asked Gibbs.

"I am here to clarify some things," smiled Petrov.

"Really," he said as he gripped his Sig Sauer, which he had placed on the seat beside him.

"Yes," said Petrov. "You are working under the delusion that we want to kill Jeanne Benoit. We do not. It was not us who killed your agents and blew up that car in front of your house."

"How can I believe you?" asked Gibbs.

"We would have blown up your house, Agent Gibbs," said Petrov. "There is no money in it to get federal agencies after us, especially since we want Julian Benoit just like you do."

"So, Benoit is trying to kill his cousin," stated Gibbs.

"He intends on rebuilding the Frog's network and then some," said Petrov.

"Killing my men was supposed to shut her up," said Gibbs.

"Yes, it was supposed to intimidate her, but Jeanne has gone through too much to be intimidated," he smiled.

"You know her?" asked Gibbs.

"Intimately," said Petrov. "I met her in Paris. She has developed a taste for bad boys."

"Do you know where Julian Benoit is?" asked Gibbs.

"No, but if you should find him I would like to know. We could take care of the problem for you," said Petrov. "No one gets away with what he has done to us. He owes us millions and his life."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Gibbs.

"Good," said Petrov, who stood up. "Good to have met you, Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs watched as the man walked away. There was no reason to trust Petrov, but there was also no reason not to believe him. Gibbs took another sip of his coffee. They needed to find Julian Benoit soon because he wanted to make a name for himself, which made him very dangerous.

NCIS

Tony sat along with Eli, Scott, Teo, Noa, Liat, and Tanaka waiting to hear from Call. As for Agent Call, he reviewed his notes then he started to speak.

"Tony and Noa and Teo and Liat will enter Dubai as two couples staying at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. I, Scott, and a Mossad officer to be named later will entered Dubai as businessmen. We will act as backup. Agent Tanaka will remain here as presence in your command center," said Call. "The plan is simple. Once in Dubai Tony, Noa, Teo, and Liat will look to lure Kort to the yacht, a place he likes to spend time at anyhow. We take him on the yacht and sail it out. I have boating experience and whoever you choose to be my partner should, also."

"I know who to use," said Eli.

"We sail this damn yacht as close as we can to Israeli waters, where a Sa'ar 5-Class Corvette picks us up and takes us the rest of the way home," said Call.

"The yacht?" asked Tony.

"We let it drift on the opens seas," said Call.

"Do you have any contingency plans if anything goes wrong?" asked Eli.

"Yes. We will take Kort evac to Africa and fly to Israel," said Call. "I can give you the details if you want them."

"You are talking about taking the Gulf of Aden then the Red Sea, right?" asked Eli.

"Yes, sir," said Call.

"Dangerous area, if you not careful. No one will be able to help you," said Eli.

"The quicker one of your ships can get to us the better," said Call.

Eli nodded then he looked at Tony.

"Alright, let's take a break," said Tony. "Eli and I need to talk."

"Sounds like a half assed dangerous plan," said Scott. "I like it. Sign me up."

"Behave yourself," said Tony with a smirk.

He watched everyone except Eli and him got up and left the table. Once they were alone, he waited for Eli to speak. He was the man in charge and it was his conference and room. Eli sat and stared at the tabletop for a few moments.

"It is a plan," he said.

"We need Kort," said Tony.

"Tonight dinner at my place. Bring Hannah and the children. After dinner we will discuss this," said Eli.

He stood up and left the room leaving Tiny alone. He wasn't sure but he was starting to get the feeling that Eli David liked him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Eight**

Eli played with Anna and Aaron acting like a loving Uncle, which surprised Tony. Both children were on the living room floor with Eli sitting on the floor playing with them. While he spent the pre-dinner time enjoying the kids, Hannah and Tony enjoyed an Israeli wine and watched.

"Eli always enjoys the kids," said Hannah.

"Yeah," said Tony, "I imagined Eli training kids for the Mossad at Anna's age."

"He's learned from his mistakes," Hannah told him.

"He's made some big ones when it comes to his daughter," said Tony.

"Eli knows," said Hannah.

"A blind man could see the mistakes he has made," said Tony.

Hannah laughed aloud a little too strongly drawing Eli's attention. Eli looked up from his spot on the floor with a quizzical look on his face.

"Something humorous?" asked Eli.

Hannah responded rapidly in Hebrew drawing a chuckle from Eli then she looked back at Tony.

"You didn't tell him my comment, did you?" Tony asked.

"Of course I did," she smiled.

With a groan and some effort, Eli got up off the floor.

"I think we should eat," he said.

NCIS

It was the middle of the day and Ziva was feeling anxious. WitSec was coming to pick up Jeanne to secure her in a safe house. Part of her was glad to get rid of Jeanne, but another part of her knew that as long as they had Jeanne they were involved in the operation. She wanted to stay actively part of this. Gibbs came walking into the bullpen.

"Wilson, go relieve McGee in the conference room. You babysit Benoit until WitSec comes," he barked.

Wilson got up from Tony's desk and went off without a word. Gibbs sat down at his desk then looked over at Ziva.

"Okay, give me your complaint," said Gibbs.

"I don't like being in the dark and we will be in the dark once Jeanne is gone," she said.

"Not if I can help it," said Gibbs.

"Vance won't let us be active in this unless it is to find the case in DC," said Ziva.

He glared at her for a moment then smirked. This wouldn't be the first time he didn't listen to Vance or a director of NCIS.

"We'll see about that," said Gibbs.

"I want to be involved, Gibbs. I need to be," said Ziva.

"And why is that Agent David?" he asked starting to get concerned.

"Because it is Tony," she said.

He stood up and motioned her to follow him. They walked to the elevator and entered then he did his usual routine of hitting the emergency brake. Ziva stood one corner of the elevator and stared defiantly at him.

"Rule 12, have you broke it?" he asked.

"No," she said.

"Do I have to worry about you breaking it?" he asked.

Ziva thought about her answer for a moment. She didn't like to lie to Gibbs and her feelings for Tony were becoming clearer and clearer all the time.

"Yes, Gibbs, you do," she said.

He exhaled then waited for her to continue to speak.

"I think I love him," she said.

"Think?" he said. "If you are going to break my rules then it better be for a reason better than I think."

"I know I love him," she said quietly.

"Relationships between colleagues don't work," said Gibbs. "Remember Michael?"

"He was using me," said Ziva defensively.

"Jenny and I," he said.

She didn't say anything to that.

"Hannah and her husband worked until he was killed. They have two beautiful children," said Ziva.

"Exception to the rule," countered Gibbs.

"I think Tony and I are exceptional," she said.

Gibbs smiled. He turned and released the emergency break.

"Keep it out of the office," he said then looked at her. "Don't hurt him. Wendy sent him for a loop. God knows what you'd do to him."

The door opened and he strode out of the elevator leaving Ziva there to contemplate his words and smile. She needed to talk to Tony.

NCIS

Dinner was finished and Eli and Tony strolled out into the backyard while Hannah read to the children. Eli smoked a cigar and enjoyed a cognac, while Tony sipped his cognac.

"Bernard Boutinet Napoleon Cognac," smiled Eli. "One of the problems of this business is that you develop fine taste because of people you pursue."

"I grew up with that taste. I learned to love pizza and beer," said Tony.

"Oh, yes, you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, though it wasn't a pleasant childhood once your mother died," said Eli.

"Ziva said you had a dossier on me once," said Tony.

"Yes, but it was done by Ziva and inadequate. Years later, I had it updated by someone better suited for that thing. It helped me understand you better," said Eli. "You have heroic inclinations which you hide behind a clown's mask. On one hand, you have done some amazing things from saving a child before an important college basketball game, bringing down the Macaluso family, your time at homicide in Baltimore, working with Gibbs as a duo, and, of course, your plan that ended up rescuing my daughter. Yet, you cause people to undervalue those accomplishments with jokes and misbehavior. Vance still doesn't value you enough."

"He has his own issues. He wants to be George Smiley instead of the Director of NCIS," said Tony.

Eli laughed much to Tony's surprise.

"Leon does enjoy cloak and dagger a little too much. The CIA is annoyed by him because he pushes the NCIS mandate too often to get involved in spy work, but he does it well. He does rely too much on technology, though. It is a fault of his. He doesn't understand that the agent in the field is better than any computer or satellite," said Eli.

"How do you feel about the plan to grab Kort?" Tony asked.

Eli took a long sip of his cognac.

"When I met Leon I was on leave from Mossad and a separated from my family. I was a man looking for a purpose and I saw this young man getting involved in a situation that would get him killed, so I stopped smoking the excellent pot I had bought and helped him. It made me rejoin Mossad with purpose because I realized once again that there were good guys and bad guys. Kort is a bad guy. Are you ready to do what must be done to take him?" asked Eli.

"I believe so," said Tony.

"Are you ready to kill?" he asked.

"I have killed in the past," said Tony.

"No, I don't mean hate of battle or self-defense. I mean are you ready to cold bloodily cut someone's throat in order not to be heard so that the mission succeeds. I am talking about something different hear, Anthony," said Eli.

"Do I have a choice?" asked Tony.

"Yes, you do. You can stay in ops with me and watch on satellite or live feed while the team goes in and does its job," said Eli.

"DiNozzo rule number one: I don't sit on the sideline when my people are in danger," said Tony.

"Good rule. Much better than Gibbs' rule number 12," said Eli with a smirk.

"You know Gibbs' rules," said Tony.

"Jenny used to expound on them. Some I agree with, but rule 12 is not one of them," said Eli. "Who can understand you better than someone who is doing the same thing? Not everyone wants to end up working with wood in their basement. Some people want lives to go along with work."

"Like you?" smirked Tony.

"I have made all my own mistakes with open eyes and belief I was doing best for my country. It cost my family greatly. It cost me greatly," he said.

"Maybe rule 12 is a good idea," said Tony.

"No, it is silly and you know it. You have broken it enough," said Eli.

Tony smiled.

"Ziva and you are close," he said.

Tony exhaled before answering. Ziva and he were dysfunctional close. He found himself jealous of the man she saw and she sometimes found herself jealous of the women he saw. They were forever dancing around each other.

"She's my teammate," said Tony.

"That is a Gibbs' answer," said Eli then he chuckled. "Can you handle this operation, Agent DiNozzo?"

Suddenly, Tony felt as if he had been baited and snared. Eli had wound him and softened him up and now asked the most important question that he needed answering.

"I'm not James Bond, but I can handle, including cutting someone's throat if I have to cut it," said Tony.

"You are an excellent investigator and field agent, but now I need you to be a covert agent now. I need you to be someone who makes decisions based on one thing: finishing the mission. Laws and morals can be dealt with later because the most important thing is to make sure a nuclear suitcase doesn't explode in Jerusalem or DC. Millions of lives are hanging in the balance, Anthony. Can you be that man?" asked Eli.

"I don't have a choice, do I?" said Tony.

"No, you don't," smiled Eli.

Tony downed his cognac. The liquid burned as it slid down his throat. He concentrated on the burn of the alcohol for a moment because of what he had to do might overwhelm him then he'd feel the need to play the clown. The clown needed to stay away for now. He needed to be someone else now.

NCIS

The Marshals from WitSec showed up. They were a two-person team with another six agents in backup. Gibbs was called into Vance's office to speak to them, so Ziva took eh opportunity to speak to Jeanne one last time.

She entered the conference to find a nervous Jeanne drinking a coffee. The woman looked tired and stressed out. Ziva almost felt sorry for her.

"You will be leaving soon. If everything goes right, you will never hear from us again," Ziva said.

"Good," Jeanne mumbled softly.

"You don't want to know if Tony survives this operation or not?" asked Ziva.

"No, I don't that way I can assume the worse," she said.

"Why be so bitter?" asked Ziva.

Jeanne stared at Ziva for a few moments before she answered.

"Because I loved him," she said.

"And he loved you," countered Ziva.

"So you say and so he said but I offered him a chance to come away with me and he chose to stay with NCIS," she said.

Ziva looked at her confused. Jeanne realized Tony never told them.

"I sent him a note asking him to quit and come away with me to start a new life. I never heard from him. He never even bothered to reply, but instead stayed with NCIS and your team. He didn't love me, not really," she said.

"Doing this is who Tony is. What did you expect that he'd run away with you and become something else? He is a federal agent and he believes in what he does," said Ziva.

"I think it's more than that," said Jeanne.

"You should give up your bitterness. It does you no good. It poisons you. I have been there. I have been bitter over betrayal and it almost cost me my life. Let go of it, Jeanne. If you need to hate Tony, then hate him and be done with it. Get it out of your system, but don't keep it alive," Ziva said.

"Who betrayed your love?" asked Jeanne.

"My father for one and a man I thought I loved. I have been betrayed more than once," Ziva said.

"And you can defend Tony after knowing who that feels?" she asked Ziva.

"I can more than defend him; I can love him," said Ziva. "Yes, I love him. He is flawed and sometimes he is annoying but I love him," Ziva told him.

"Let's hope he doesn't betray you," said Jeanne.

"He won't," smiled Ziva.

"Why won't he?" asked Jeanne.

"Because he knows I'll kill," she laughed and left Jeanne to deal with their final conversation.

Ziva now felt sure that she needed to be honest with Tony. It was time that they ended their dance. They were going to both survive this damned mess and then she was going to be honest with him.

NCIS

Tony woke from a restless sleep. It was five in the morning. Hannah and the kids weren't up yet. Today he was going to pack up his stuff and move into a temporary apartment so that the next few days they could finalize their plans, put together documents, and even get some training in before they left for Dubai. A car was going to pick him up at seven in the morning, so he could have a final breakfast with Anna, Aaron, and Hannah.

After a quick shower, he walked out of his room and started towards the kitchen. He decided he'd make them some pancakes, DiNozzo style. When he got to the kitchen, Hannah was already making coffee. She turned and smiled at him.

"I am going to miss you," she said.

"Believe it or not I'm not good with kids. I'm going to miss you and the kids," he said.

Hannah smiled wistfully, "Too bad there is you and Ziva. If there weren't I think I would have tried to get your attention, Agent DiNozzo."

"You got my attention, Hannah," he smiled.

"Ah, but did I get your attention sexual?" she said.

"Back at the pool all those years ago you got my attention," he said.

"But Ziva got it more," she smiled.

"Ziva is unique," he said.

"And beautiful," Hannah added.

"And deadly," he said making Hannah laugh.

Tony walked up to her and with his thumb and forefinger lifted her chin and gently kissed her. Hannah responded by deepening the kiss. It lasted longer than Tony had anticipated it would and left him feeling a little light headed.

"If my cousin doesn't want you then know that I will have you," she smiled.

"You are a very confusing family," smiled Tony.

"The David Family is noted for being difficult," Hannah told him. "I mean what I say, Tony. If Ziva doesn't want you, I do."

"Thank you, Hannah," he said. "I'll actually keep that in mind."

"But does it appeal to you?" she asked.

"More than I thought it would," he smiled then kissed her again. "Now let me make breakfast for you and the kids. For the next three days, I have the feeling Eli is going to have me so busy I won't even be able to call and say hello."

"Speaking of calling," said Hannah, "you should check in with Ziva. I know her and she is probably crazy waiting for an update."

"She does love her missions," said Tony.

"And you. I know Ziva and she loves you. She may not have admitted it to herself yet, but she does," Hannah said. "I wish she didn't."

Tony smiled at her. For a moment, they just stood there and stared at each other until he broke the silence, "Cinnamon pancakes or waffles?"

"Pancakes," said Hannah. "Anna loves her pancakes."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Nine

Tony wore a white cotton dress shirt and a pair of cargo pants along with army boots. The look made him fit in with the Mossad officers. He stood with his Glock .22 in his hand at the firing range. He had on earphones and goggles, as he fired off a clip. The supervisor, a small intense man around sixty, walked over to him and pressed the button retrieving the target. He had two tight groupings, one in the head and one in the chest.

"Tov me'od," said the supervisor.

Tony looked at him with a blank expression.

"Very good," he said in English.

"Yeah, not bad," he smiled.

The supervisor put in a new target and sent it back down to the wall. He smiled at Tony, "Do it again."

"You're the boss," said Tony.

"I know," said the supervisor.

Tony loaded his Glock, put his goggles, and earphones back on, and emptied the clip into the target. According to Tanaka, Kort went around with a five-man bodyguard. They were all ex-Saudi military, trained by the US Special Forces, and considered the top of their field. She was working on getting a man-by-man breakdown for them of strength and weaknesses.

The supervisor came back and retrieved the latest target. It also had two tight groupings, one in the head and one in the chest. He smiled.

"You are as ready as you'll ever be," said the supervisor.

"Not good enough to be Mossad, right?" smirked Tony.

The supervisor didn't even bother to respond. In his short time dealing with Mossad officers, he had gotten used to their arrogance. It helped that he had seven years of experience dealing with Ziva and her Mossad arrogance.

"Deputy Director David is upstairs in the lounge waiting for you," said the supervisor.

Tony holstered his weapon and headed for the stairs up to ground level. The training center was located in a warehouse near the docks of Tel Aviv. The lounge was a room with a table some chairs, a coffee maker, and a small refrigerator with cold water bottles in it. There was no air conditioning, so the temperature in the room hovered around ninety. Tony entered the lounge to see Eli sipping a cup of coffee.

"You wanted to see me, Eli," he said.

"Yes," he said then motioned to the coffee pot. "Have a coffee or water?"

Tony walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a water then he walked over to the table and sat down.

"Jeanne Benoit is in witness protection," said Eli.

"So soon," Tony said.

He opened the water bottle and started drinking down the water.

"There was an attempt on her life," said Eli.

Tony stopped drinking and looked at Eli with concern.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked.

"Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee are fine. Two agents were killed, though. The Russian Mafia sought Gibbs out to tell him that it was Julian Benoit who did it," Eli told him.

"Great. He's probably a sociopath," snarled Tony.

"I could have a profiler to a profile on him, but I don't really care if he's a sociopath. Once we know where he is, he is dead," said Eli.

"After we locate and retrieve the suitcase," said Tony.

"The timing is open to debate," said Eli.

"No taking him in and having him stand for trial," said Tony.

"Remember our conversation, Anthony," said Eli.

"I remember and I'm not arguing. He's dead," said Tony.

Eli smiled then took a sip of his coffee.

"You are learning," said Eli.

"Do I have a choice?" asked Tony.

"No, not really. If you are going to survive this, you have to act according the rules of the game," said Eli.

Tony took another drink of water.

"Anything else, Eli?" he asked.

"Hannah sends her best. She says that the children miss you," said Eli.

Tony smiled. Against his better judgment, he had started to feel something for Hannah. He wasn't sure why. There was the obvious reason like she was highly attractive, but it was more than that. He felt strangely comfortable with her and he even liked her kids. With Hannah, he didn't put on mask after mask, but he allowed her to see him.

Of course, the fact that she was Ziva's cousin made it difficult to think of her as anything more than a friend. His feelings for Ziva acted as an obstacle, yet that moment in the kitchen they shared felt oddly right. He needed to put her out of his mind for now. The operation was too important to be distracted.

"She likes you," said Eli. "Are you developing feelings for her?"

Tony stared at Eli for a moment then drank the last of his water.

"She's been kind to me," said Tony. "I should get back to work.

Tony got up and started to leave.

"You seem to weave a spell on David women, Anthony. Ziva and now Hannah. Sometimes I think you want to marry into the David Family," smiled Eli.

"All I want to do is my job, Eli, and nothing more," said Tony.

Tony exited leaving Eli alone. Eli chuckled to himself and took a file sip of his coffee. It was time to get back to work.

NCIS

Gibbs looked up from his desk and stared over at Agent Wilson. He kept staring until finally Wilson realized that Gibbs wanted his attention.

"Yes, sir," he said.

"Go down to intel offices and have one of the analysts get you all the information he can on Julian Benoit right hand man, Gerard Mannion. I want to know everything I can about him," said Gibbs.

"Yes, sir," said Wilson.

He got up and walked over to the elevator. Gibbs then looked over at Ziva. Ziva waited to hear his orders.

"Call Israel. Get us some intel from one of your sources on what's happening?" he said.

"Yes, Gibbs," she said.

She picked up the phone and dialed Hannah's smartphone. After it rang three times, she answered it.

"Shalom," said Hannah.

"It is me Ziva," said Ziva in Hebrew.

"I thought I'd hear from you earlier than this," said Hannah.

"How is Tony?" she asked.

"He is fine, Ziva," Hannah said sounding a bit strained.

Ziva had known her cousin for her whole life and was too well trained by Mossad not to know that Hannah was bothered by something.

"I hear tension in your voice, Hannah. What is wrong, Tony?" Ziva asked.

"Nothing is wrong with him. It is me, Ziva. I am the one with the problem not Tony," Hannah said.

"What is it, Hannah? Has he gotten on your nerves? I should know better than anyone else that he can do that," said Ziva.

"No, Ziva, that is not it. Believe me he hasn't gotten on my nerves. I like him, Ziva. As a matter of fact, he is the first man I've liked since Aaron died," Hannah admitted to her cousin.

Ziva was stunned to hear this. She wasn't sure how to react to this news.

"Does he like you, Hannah?" she asked.

"I don't know. I kissed him and he responded to it, but we both knew there is someone else that tugs at his heart," said Hannah. "I don't want to make a rival of my cousin. We are too old for that and you are too beautiful."

"Hannah, I do not know what to say," Ziva said.

"I told you because I want you to know that if you don't intend on pursuing a relationship with him, I would like to," Hannah said.

"Where is he now, Hannah?" asked Ziva.

She didn't want to have this unexpected discussion. Ziva loved her cousin and her children and hearing that she had developed feeling for Tony confused her.

"He leaves tomorrow for Dubai. They are preparing their final touches on their plan," Hannah told her.

"Will Eli be overseeing this op?" she asked.

"Yes. He will be watching from the command center when they make their move. Noa will be wired for a live feed," said Hannah.

"And you?" Ziva asked.

"I asked to watch," she said, "and he said yes."

"I will let Vance know you will have a live feed set up. We may ask to share the feed," said Ziva.

"I'll let Eli know, Ziva," said Hannah.

"Hannah, I understand. He has been staying with you and, as much as I can say that Tony is annoying, he is a good man," said Ziva.

"Do you love him?" Hannah.

"I believe I do," said Ziva.

"You better be sure of it, Ziva," said Hannah.

"Hannah, we will talk more about this," said Ziva.

"I know we will," she said.

"Tell Eli I will be in touch with him," said Ziva.

"That will make him happy. He misses you," said Hannah.

"It is his fault that he misses me, Hannah," said Ziva.

"He knows that, Ziva. Your father is very smart," Hannah said then hung up.

Ziva hung up the phone and thought about the conversation she just had. It set her on edge. She didn't like the fact Hannah had feelings for Tony. No, she didn't like that at all.

NCIS

Tony had to admit that Dubai was clean. It was new and clean, at least in the areas they were scheduled to be staying. He wore a Brioni tan linen suit with a blue dress shirt and red silk tie, while Noa wore an off-white Hebert Stretch-Crepe Dress with black stilettoes. They looked like they had money.

Teo and Liat also were dressed for the occasion. Tony smiled to see them in a suit and dress rather cargo pants and safari shirts. The two couples arrived at the Jumeirah beach Hotel. As they got out of the car service that picked them up at the hotel, Tony was struck how the place reminded him of an adult Disney World. Hell, there was even a water park on steroids the hotel, not to mention an amazing marina and a pristine beach populated with beach cabanas.

They were escorted to their rooms. He and Noa checked the room for bugs once they were alone. They weren't any.

"So, Tony, since Kort knows you, you will hang back as Teo, Liat, and I try to engage him," said Noa.

"I know. He gets one look at me and he'll either try to have me killed or run," said Tony.

"Why do you two have such an adversarial relationship?" asked Noa.

"I interfered with his plans for Rene Benoit, so he tried to kill me and Jeanne," said Tony.

Noa smiled, "You seem to have bad luck with women."

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

"I've read your dossier," she laughed.

Tony could only imagine how it read. From a mother who died young to Kate and Paula and what happened with Jenny and what almost happened with Ziva then there was Jeanne, he did have one black mark after another when it came to women, and too often the woman ended up either dead or damaged.

"I've had my moments," said Tony.

"With your love life you could be a spy," she teased him.

"Why do spies have difficult love lives?" he asked.

"We tend to either seduce potential targets or each other. It hardly ever ends well," she admitted.

"Yeah, well, I guess I do have something in common with you after all," he said.

"I am going to change then we should meet with Teo and Liat and start setting a trap for Kort," she said.

"I'll call Scott and see if he and Call are in motion yet," he said.

She nodded then grabbed one of her pieces of luggage and walked into the bathroom. Tony dialed Scott. The ex-Seal answered his smartphone.

"Yeah, boss," he said.

"What are you and Scott up to?" he asked.

"Since we flew into Dubai last night, we already have eyes on Kort. He travels with his five bodyguards, who seem to be jailers as much as guards to me. I think Kort isn't trusted by this sheik Omar," said Scott.

"Where is he now?" asked Tony.

"At the Dubai Marina," he said. "He's checking out a hotel restaurant for lunch."

"Date?" asked Tony.

"No date," answered Scott.

"Teo, Liat, and Noa will be there as soon as they can. I'll have them contact you," said Tony.

"And you, boss?" asked Scott.

"He knows me, so I'll hang here until we can get him on the damned yacht," said Tony.

"Sitting by the pool having a beer and looking at the pretty women in the bikinis, oh, you poor bastard," Scott teased him.

"I'll have a beer for you," said Tony.

"Make it two," said Scott.

Tony hung up. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. There was something about this part of the op that just seemed destined to go wrong. Maybe he was developing a Gibbs-like gut instinct.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Ten

Trent Kort's taste for pretty women paid off. He was attracted to Noa, who flirted with him and made promises of sexual delights, which he was not going to let slip away. Trent asked her on a date on the yacht for tomorrow night. They had him where they wanted him. Tony called Scott and Call to the hotel for a meeting in his and Noa's room.

"He invited Teo and me along with her to join them on the yacht," said Liat.

"Which means we will be checked for weapons when we go on the boat," said Teo with disgust. "Noa, Liat, and I will be unarmed."

"We'll be there for you," said Scott.

"It will be up to you three to takeout the perimeter," said Teo. He didn't really bother to hide his disgust at the thought of the Americans having to handle this.

"We can handle it," said Scott.

Tony understood why Teo was upset. They were Kidon trained for these situations and they were going to have to depend on a Seal, a cop, and an intel gatherer.

"We can handle this, Teo," said Tony. "You handle whoever is in your area once we strike. I know you'll be unarmed, but I'm fairly sure you're deadly even without weapons."

Liat and Noa smiled.

"We can handle them," said Teo.

"And we'll handle the rest," said Tony.

NCIS

Noa, Liat, and Teo were dressed for a party on a yacht, while Scott, Call, and Tony prepared themselves to take out the bodyguards and the boat's security. Everyone had a job and all they needed to do was their job and it would go fine. At least, that was what Tony told himself. The live feed would come from a pair of glasses being worn by Liat.

In Mossad Ops Eli and Hannah watched as the feed began to transmit. With a nod of his head, the live feed was then shared with NCIS' MTAC, where Vance, Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee gathered to watch. The feed was grainy at first then cleared up to show a greenish feed of the events unfolding. Through her earpiece they could pick up the sound.

"You look lovely tonight, my dear," they heard Kort's voice.

Liat looked over at Noa, who was having her had kissed by Kort.

"He makes my skin crawl," commented Ziva.

"I can't believe the CIA employed him for so long," said McGee.

"I'll have the waiter make us drinks," said Kort.

"How long have you been staying here?" asked Teo.

"Not long," said Kort.

The image of Kort sitting down across from Liat came into focus. He wore a patch over his left eye, a gift from the Port-to-Port Killer, and wore an expensive grey suit with a white shirt and no tie.

"What do you do for a living?" asked Liat.

"Security," he answered.

"Must pay well," cooed Noa.

"The Arab world puts a premium on security," he smiled.

"That man gives me the creeps," said Ziva.

"Yeah, he really does," agreed McGee.

Vance looked at Gibbs. Gibbs stared at the screen focusing on it with a great intensity.

"I hope your boy is up for this," said Vance.

"He is, Leon," said Gibbs.

NCIS

Dressed in black pants, shirt, and blazer Tony and Scott walked along the Marina towards the pier where Prince Omar yacht was docked. The marina itself was surrounded by impressive skyscrapers, once again giving Dubai the impression of a grown up playground. They walked passed some security guards and nodded and smiled.

"They probably think we have money," Scott said to Tony.

"At this moment, I wish I did," said Tony then he touched his earpiece. "Call, when I tell you I want you to hack in and cut the marina lights."

Call was in a car with a laptop waiting for his orders. Scott and Tony started walking down the dock towards the yacht. He and Scott took out sunglasses that had night vision capabilities and put them on. Tony touched his earpiece again.

"Cut the lights," he said.

Call started to hack into the grid to kill the marina lights. Within minutes, they were out.

NCIS

The greenish image from Liat's glasses went from light green to a darker green. Kort sat up in his chair and barked orders, "Harkim, find the fuck out what is happening!"

He stood up and started to look around.

"Is there anything wrong?" asked Teo.

"This shouldn't be happening," said Kort. "I don't like this."

"Should we leave?" asked Noa.

Kort smiled and looked at her, "You're safer here than anywhere else."

"I hope that is true," said Noa.

"Trust me," Kort said, "my men are good. If there is trouble then they can handle it."

Just than a couple of the boats' security came out from below decks with weapons.

"Oh, I'm starting to get nervous," said Liat causing Eli to chuckle.

NCIS

Tony and Scott both pulled their sidearms out with suppressors on them. Scott immediately took two guards out with clean shots while Tony took one out. Scott jumped up onto the yacht then offered Tony a hand up.

"Dubai security is alerted and scrambled guys. I'm on my way because there is no going back," Call told them.

"Get your ass here," said Tony.

"Let's make sure this doesn't become FUBAR," said Scott.

"You a Seal I thought you were trained to take on a brigade and then swim twenty miles to the nearest sub," said Tony.

"I forgot my flippers," Scott smiled.

NCIS

Both at Mossad and NCIS they watched as Teo, Liat, and Noa went into action disabling the security that came up and disarming them. Kort looked shocked by this, especially after Noa stopped him from kicked to the gut followed by an elbow to the spine.

"You bitch," he growled.

"That's Mossad not bitch," she said.

"Oh, joy," said Kort as he sat on the deck looking up at the agents.

They heard gunfire coming from the front of the yacht. Liat looked over at Teo.

"Should we check it out?" she asked.

"No, the Americans can handle it," said Teo.

"Bastard," growled Ziva. "Teo was friends with Michael."

"Eli wouldn't have chosen him if he believed he fuck this up on purpose," said Vance. "Too much is at stake."

"I hope Eli knows that," said Gibbs.

In Mossad Ops, Eli shook his head and looked at Hannah.

"I will deal with Teo when they get back," he said.

"He is going to get Tony killed," Hannah said quietly, "and I am going to kill him."

Eli looked at her and nodded his head, "I really have to find out what it is about DiNozzo that makes David women attracted to him."

NCIS

The five bodyguards were taken out and Call had finally arrived. Tony looked at Scott.

"You're the Seal, so go get this boat in motion," he ordered.

"I'll go with him," said Call.

Tony nodded then headed to the aft where he knew rest of his team and Kort where located. As he came up on them, Kort looked up and saw him. A snarl twisted his face.

"DiNozzo," he hissed.

"Hey, Trent," Tony said, "you're looking good."

Slowly, Trent got up.

"They'll kill me rather than let me go," said Kort. "I know too much now."

"Well, we have you right now, so I'd worry about what we want to know," said Tony.

Tony moved in close to Kort getting into his face.

"You know that I hate you, DiNozzo," said Kort.

"The feeling is mutual," said Tony.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the bodyguards on the deck pull his gun and aim it at Kort. Without putting too much thought into it, Tony pushed Kort aside and took the two rounds he fired inside of Kort.

NCIS

"No!" screamed Ziva.

The feed coming from Liat jumped all around as she looked from Kort to Tony to the bodyguard, who was having his neck broken by Teo. She then ran over to Tony, who was being helped by Noa. She looked at his right thigh, which had a bullet wound, and his upper right chest near his shoulder, which had a bullet wound.

"We need to stop the bleeding," said Noa. "Get towels."

In the background the sound of the yacht's engines starting up and the boat pulling away could be heard. Suddenly, the feed went blank and seconds later the image of a concerned Eli and worried Hannah appeared.

"We lost the feed," said Eli. "We will get it back."

Without being given permission, Ziva stepped forward and spoke in Hebrew, "Hannah, take care of him. Make sure that he lives. If what you told me is true and you have feelings for him then you take care of him."

"I shall, Ziva," replied Hannah.

Vance glared at Ziva and she stepped back then Vance looked at Eli.

"I will keep you posted on Agent DiNozzo's health. A surgeon will be on the Corvette that rendezvous with the yacht," Eli said.

"You'll be interrogating Kort," said Vance.

"We will get all the information we need from him," said Eli.

"Keep us posted on that, too," said Vance.

"Leon, Anthony has done his job well. Saving Kort he has saved lives. I will take care of him," said Eli.

"I know you will, Eli," said Vance.

The screen went blank. Vance looked at Gibbs.

"He'll be alright," said Vance.

"I know he will, Leon. I haven't given him permission to die," said Gibbs.

NCIS

Tony didn't remember much except going in and out consciousness. He knew he had been shot twice and it was painful. Opening his eyes he saw Scott's face staring at him.

"Hey, boss," he said then lifted Tony's head and put two pills in it and followed it with water.

Tony swallowed then choked a little. Scott fed him more water then lowered his head.

"We only have aspirin on this boat, boss," he said, "but I've been told a surgeon with lots of good drugs is waiting for you when we hook up."

"When?" Tony asked in a raw voice.

"Two days as long as we don't get stop," he smiled.

"Yeah," he said.

"Go on and close your eyes and get to sleep," said Scott.

"I think I'll do what you say," said Tony.

The next time he woke he seemed to be in a grey metal infirmary. A doctor and nurse were hovered over him. The doctor smiled at Tony.

"You are a lucky man. You had two bullets in you for several days but you did go septic. It looks like you are going to survive your adventure after all," said the doctor.

"Are we in Israel?" Tony asked.

"Soon," he said. "We will be offloading you in Haifa where you are to be taken to the home of the Deputy Director of Mossad. You must be an important man."

"Not sure about that," Tony "You will need some time to get better and cane for walking until your leg is healed, but you are going to be fine. If the Deputy Director of Mossad wants you healthy then I have to get you healthy."

The doctor handed Tony a small cup with four pills in it. There were two white pulls and two blue pills. Tony swallowed them down and chased them with some water.

"Antibiotics and a strong pain killers," said the doctor.

"Pain killers tend to make me a little goofy," Tony told the doctor.

"These won't make you goofy; they will make you sleep," he laughed.

"But," Tony started to talk then broke into a giant yawn.

"See, you are going to go to sleep. The next time you wake up then you should be in a nice bedroom being taken care of someone better looking than me," said the doctor.

"But you're so pretty, doc," said Tony.

The doctor laughed aloud then watched as Tony fell into a deep sleep. His body needed to time heal after getting shot twice and then to be taken care of without the proper medical supplies for several days. He was a lucky man.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Eleven

Trent Kort sat at a table in a grey room without windows or amenities waiting for his interrogators. Seemingly calm and unaffected, he adjusted the patch over his left eye socket and waited. The door to the room finally opened and Gibbs and Eli David entered the room. When Trent saw Gibbs, he exhaled in frustration. He was hoping to deal with Mossad only.

Gibbs along with Ziva flew out immediately. Vance decided that since one of his agents was down protecting Kort then the least Eli could do was allow NCIS to be in on the interrogation. They would remain in custody of Kort's body, but Gibbs would get a chance at him.

"Gibbs, what an unexpected surprise," he said. "And here I was hoping to just deal with Mossad and its torture techniques."

"Kort," Gibbs said then sat down in a chair across from him, while Eli stood.

The two men stared at each other for a few moments. Gibbs knew that Eli was using him as a tool. He didn't mind just as long as they got what they needed.

"How is DiNozzo?" asked Kort.

"He's alive," said Gibbs.

"The bastard is not my favorite person, but he did take two bullets for me. I guess I owe him," Kort said.

"Oh, you owe him," growl Gibbs, "and you will pay, Kort."

"What do you want, Gibbs?" asked Kort. "I know you didn't pull me out of Dubai just because of my sins against the CIA."

"No, I might actually send you a present for them," said Gibbs.

"I take gift certificates," smiled Kort.

"Where is Julian Benoit?" Gibbs asked.

Kort didn't open his mouth. He looked at Eli David, who stared at the man as if he was an insignificant as a bug. Kort smiled. He had room to negotiate and he knew that now. Kort was sure he'd survive this.

"I want to make a deal," he said to Eli.

"You don't get any deals, Kort," hissed Gibbs.

"I'll tell you what you want if we can cut a deal," said Kort once again to Eli. "You want to cut a deal with me."

"What do you want?" asked Eli.

"I want a million dollars, cash will do, and a new identity, plus a ride to a country where I have a chance to survive," said Kort.

"How about I give you my disdain and allow you to live for now," said Eli.

"You both know you'll never get anything out of me unless I have a reason to give it to you. Torture won't work because I understand the need for keeping my secrets," said Kort. "Now you've ruined my ability to hide and live in the Middle East, so all I am asking is a stake, some papers, and a ride out of the country. It's not much to ask."

Gibbs looked over his shoulder at Eli. The Deputy Director stood there as if he was lost in deep thought. Finally, he looked at Kort. It was time for a counteroffer.

"Half a million dollars, papers giving you a new identity, and a ride to the Africa country of your choice," said Eli.

Kort smiled, "Uzbekistan. Julian Benoit's special hiding spot is in Uzbekistan just outside of Tashkent. He has a little fortress set up. Give me a map and I can give you the exact coordinates."

"Does the government know he is living there?" asked Eli.

"He pays them well enough for his safety, so if he is in trouble they will come running to help," said Kort. "Bastard is smarter than Rene in protecting himself."

"Well, it looks like we have a deal, Mr. Kort," said Eli. "But let me warn you, Mr. Kort, the next time you are in the sights of Mossad the order will be to kill. I recommend you avoiding any business dealing with Israel."

"I don't have a problem with that. I find Israel to be less then cooperative," smiled Kort.

"You're a lucky man, Kort," said Gibbs.

"Lucky man," he scoffed. "I have will the CIA, MI-6, and dozens of other spy agencies after me. I don't think that is lucky, Gibbs."

"You won't have me coming after you. You're lucky," said Gibbs.

Kort grinned.

NCIS

Tony woke up in a foreign bed. His chest felt like an anvil was sitting on it and his left leg throbbed. It was time for some painkillers no matter how damned goofy they make him. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

"Finally, you are awake sleepy head," a familiar voice drew his attention.

Tony looked to the doorway to see Ziva standing there. Her hair was down and wild just like he liked it and she a bright smile on her face.

"Ninja, what are you doing here?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"First, you need water and painkillers then I'll answer your questions," she said.

She walked over to night table; poured water from a pitcher into a glass then shook a couple of pills from a pill bottle. Ziva sat on the edge of the bed and waited until Tony painfully sat up. He groaned in pain as he moved, but he knew he needed to move.

She handed him the pills, which he tossed it his mouth then she offered him the water. He took the water glass and sipped the water. After the second sip of water, he started coughing. Ziva took the water glass away from him.

"Too much water too fast," Ziva said bringing a smile to Tony's lips.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"Because of you," she replied.

"Me?" he said.

"Yes, Tony, you. I am here because of you. I saw you get shot saving Kort and I realized that you mean much more to me than just a teammate and friend," she said then she leaned into him and gently kissed his lips.

Tony was pleasantly shocked. A smile lit up his face.

"Okay, that kiss means that Gibbs is definitely not here," he said.

"He's here. He's just not here at the moment. Gibbs is with Eli right now. They are interrogating Kort," she told him.

"Kort," Tony growled softly.

"You were the one who decided to save him," Ziva smiled.

"I know," he smiled, "my bad."

"Not bad, but if you died saving Kort's life, I was going to have to raise you from the dead so I could kill you myself," said Ziva.

"You know just seeing you makes me feel better, Zi," Tony said.

Ziva ran her hand through his hair, "And seeing you in person makes me feel better. I was afraid that I was going to lose you."

He reached up and touched her face, which brought a smile to her lips.

"You are my ninja," he said.

"I am," she said.

"How long am I supposed to be bed ridden?" he asked.

"Weeks," she answered.

"By the way, where am I?" Tony asked.

"My family home in Haifa," she said. "Eli insisted that you stay here."

Tony rolled his eyes bringing a smile out of Ziva.

"Do not worry," she said. "I won't leave you alone here with him."

"Zi, I know this will sound stupid, but are we boyfriend and girlfriend now?" Tony asked.

Ziva answered this by leaning in one more time and kissing him, except this time it was a soft, gentle kiss. They shared a long passionate kiss. When they broke apart to come up for air, Tony was smiling.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said.

She whispered in his ear, "No more kissing Hannah now. You are mine."

When she pulled away, Anthony DiNozzo was both speechless and blushing. Ziva laughed.

"How do you know that I kissed Hannah?" he asked.

"She told me. She likes you, Tony," Ziva said then she leaned to whisper in his ear again. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Ziva David," said Tony.

She gave him another kiss. Ziva didn't care if Gibbs himself walked in on them.

NCIS

Gibbs arrived with Eli at the David Haifa home at seven in the evening. Both men had been informed that Tony was awake and doing much better. For Eli, the injury to Agent DiNozzo had been a surprising boon; Ziva was home for a visit. Yes, she was visit DiNozzo, but still she was home.

The SUV stopped and a Mossad Officer opened the door letting Eli out. Gibbs let himself out.

"Until DiNozzo is back on his feet, Vance wants me to run the NCIS part of this op," said Gibbs.

"Well, we must start planning an incursion into Uzbekistan then to grab Julian Benoit and the suitcase," said Eli.

"Yeah, we do," said Gibbs.

They entered the house and Eli ignored his assistant you had messages for him and led Gibbs to the room where Tony was being kept. Opening the door, Gibbs saw Ziva seated on the bed holding DiNozzo's hand and talking softly to him. He looked over at Eli to get his reaction to this little scene and was surprised to see a smile. Gibbs entered the room.

"Slacking off, Dinozzo," Gibbs said.

"Hey, boss, I hope Kort is now wearing two eye patches," he joked.

"He's given us what we needed," said Gibbs.

"Where's Benoit?" Tony asked.

"Uzbekistan," said Eli from the doorway. "We start planning for a little trip to Uzbekistan tomorrow. Gibbs will be standing in for you."

"Remember, boss, plenty of movie references and humorous comments which no one gets but me," said Tony.

"Why don't I just glare at them?" Gibbs replied.

"Good call," said Tony.

"Ziva, may I speak to you?" asked Eli.

Ziva looked from Tony to her father. He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back.

"Would now be a good time?" she asked.

"Yes," said Eli.

He walked out of the doorway and waited for Ziva in the hall. Ziva kissed Tony's forehead then got up and joined her father leaving Gibbs and Tony alone.

"Hey, boss," Tony said as Gibbs walked up to the bed.

"You did good, Tony," said Gibbs. "Kort is worth dying for but getting that suitcase back is. You did real good."

"I really didn't think it through," smiled Tony.

"Sell, Vance is impressed with your work so far," said Gibbs. "It took him long enough to see how good you are."

"Boss, what if Benoit has sold the suitcase?" asked Tony.

"Then we track it down and make sure it never goes off," said Gibbs. "Trust me, Tony, we can handle this. We won't let this suitcase go off on our watch."

"Okay, boss," said Tony then he yawned.

"Get some sleep, DiNozzo," said Gibbs.

"I will, boss," he said closed his eyes then he suddenly opened them again. "Boss, make sure Eli is nice to Ziva."

"Okay, DiNozzo," said Gibbs. "Get some sleep."

"Getting to sleep, boss," Tony said.

Gibbs watched his agent drift off to sleep. DiNozzo had done well so far and now they finish as a team.

NCIS

Eli and Ziva entered his private study. It had been years since she had been in her father study. She looked around at the books, pictures of her, Tali, and even Ari. Eli sat down behind his desk and motioned for Ziva to sit down.

"What do you want, Eli?" she asked.

"To speak to my daughter," he said.

"You know this doesn't always go well, Eli," Ziva said.

Eli smiled.

"Has Agent DiNozzo's sense of humor rubbed off on you?" he said.

"I'm not sure. Maybe," she shrugged.

"Ziva, I have made many mistakes with you. I do not ask for your forgiveness for them because some of them are unforgiveable, but I ask if we can have a relationship again. I miss my daughter," he said.

Ziva looked down at her feet. She had always had a soft spot for her father. No matter how hard he made things for her she strove to make him proud, and now he was speaking to her in a way she had always wanted. She was not an operative or a weapon, but his daughter.

"I am not sure I can do that, Eli," she said.

"You could try as I could," he said.

"I could try," she said.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Twelve

Considering his weakened state from a chest wound and his hampered ability to walk from a thigh wound, Ziva requested a wheelchair from the doctor, who brought it on his next visit. She wanted to get Tony on out of the guest room and show him some of the spots where she grew up. She waited outside the room as the doctor examined him and changed his bandages. When he exited, the doctor smiled at her.

"He is healing fine. I think getting him out of the room will be good for him. He is not a man who likes to be stuck in bed," he said.

"Unless it is with a woman," mumbled Ziva.

The doctor chuckled.

"He is requesting a steak and he hasn't breakfast yet, so I told him I'd see what I can do," the doctor said.

"I'll take care of it," Ziva told him.

"I left pain medication as well as antibiotics," said the doctor. "Make sure he takes them."

Ziva nodded then showed him to the door. She returned to the guest room and show Tony sitting on the edge of the bed trying to get into the wheelchair.

"Do not move, Tony DiNozzo," said Ziva.

"I want out of this room. It's getting to feel like a hospital room to me," he said.

She understood that he had a phobia against hospital rooms.

"I will help you into the wheelchair," she said, "then we will go into the kitchen and I will make you breakfast."

"Please, tell me that you are going to make me something I can chew. I've eaten gruel for days," he whined.

"I am making you steak and scrambled eggs," she said.

Tony's face lit up. As Ziva got close to him, he reached out and pulled her so that she was standing right in from of him. He looked up into her chocolate brown eyes then caressed her face. Ziva bent down and kissed him. It was a long exploratory kiss. He caressed her tongue with his own and she ended the kiss by sucking on his lower lip.

"Wheelchair, kitchen, and breakfast," she said in a husky voice.

"God, I love you," he replied softly.

Ziva smiled, "After breakfast I'll take you out into the back and show you where I played as a child.

"I look forward to that," he said then his expression change to concern. "Where is Gibbs?"

"Mossad Headquarters," Ziva said. "He and my father are playing on a way to enter Uzbekistan and grab Benoit without causing an international incident."

"I almost forget we still have a nuke suitcase out there," he said sounding suddenly serious. "I should be helping them with this."

"You need to get better and get your strength back. I believe my father and Gibbs can handle this right now," she told him.

He nodded. Still, he knew he should be helping Gibbs somehow. Ziva helped him into the wheelchair. Once he was safely in the wheelchair, she gave him a kiss. Tony looked up at her and smiled.

"You know I love you," he said.

"I know," she smiled.

"_Empire Strikes Back_, Han Solo. Have you been watching my movies?" he asked.

"Actually, McGee had Abby and I over to his apartment to watch the latest Blu-ray of the _Star War_ Trilogy," she told him.

"I couldn't get you to watch that," he said.

"You could now," she smiled.

NCIS

Eli and Gibbs had worked out a simple but, hopefully, effective plan of action. A Kidon unit along with Agent Scott would go in-country and put their eyes on Benoit. Once they had eyes on him, they would call in a Seal Team in stealth helicopters. Kidon and the Seals would storm the compound and then leave via the helicopters. The Helicopters would come out of Afghanistan and re-enter Afghanistan then Benoit would be transported to Tel Aviv and Mossad if necessary.

Since it was a Seals op, it would be quick, minute to three minutes long. There would be a chance of casualties, but that was acceptable considering the goal, retrieval of the suitcase. If the suitcase was there, then the Kidon Unit would be under orders to kill Benoit, if not then he was a high priority interrogation prisoner. If the suitcase had already been sold then they needed to know to who so NCIS could alert other US agencies and Israel could prepare for the worst. They sent the finished plan off to Vance for his okay and for him to deal with the US Seals and logistics.

With the plan made and submitted to Vance for his approval, Eli invited Gibbs to Haifa with him. They were driven their by a Mossad officer. The trip took place in silence. Eli knew better than to make small talk with Gibbs and Gibbs liked silence. It still amazed him that he had become as close to DiNozzo as he had since the man was a stream of conversation.

As the car pulled up in front of the Haifa home, Eli smiled. He was getting a chance to spend some time with his daughter. It was a chance to move their relationship forward. What had been done in the past, he wanted to keep there. A sign of that was his willingness to deal with Agent DiNozzo, who Ziva had always seemed attracted to for reasons Eli never understood. Yes, he found the man more than competent in his job, but if he was food then he be an acquired taste. _I wonder if I have acquired that taste. I am starting truly to like him. _

It was six in the evening when they entered the house. In the background, he could hear Nettie's voice and Hannah's. This house, which was empty so often lately, had family in it. Eli smiled.

"It sounds like my sister and niece and children are here," Eli said to Gibbs.

Gibbs nodded then followed Eli into a living room area where Nettie and Hannah along Anna and Aaron, as well as Ziva, were listening to one of Tony's tales about his time in the military academy.

"Every summer I'd grow my hair out and have to get a regulation haircut the first day of school. I swore after that I'd never join the military in any form because of the haircut. Years later because of Agent Gibbs, I become a Navy cop, but I wouldn't have if I had to get a haircut," he explained.

Eli and Gibbs appeared in the large open doorway. Tony was seated in a wheelchair with Anna in his lap, while Hannah with Aaron in her lap and Ziva sat on the sofa. Nettie sat in an armchair listening to Tony.

"You are a vain man, Anthony," said Nettie.

She was few years older than Eli, a strong, handsome woman.

"No, my father is a vain man. I just know how I look in a military haircut," he smiled.

Hannah and Ziva laughed. He was charming Nettie. They both knew how difficult a task that was, yet he seemed to be making headway with her.

"You're looks are that important to you?" she asked.

"I figure I was born with few gifts. I have excellent eyesight, a good jumper, had speed when I was younger, and good looks. I've had to nurture those gifts," said Tony.

"What is a jumper?" Nettie asked.

"Tony was a college athlete, Nettie," said Ziva. "He played basketball and football."

Eli listened and watched along with Gibbs. His daughter came to Tony's defense easily, or, in this case, she acted as his interpreter. Gibbs observed the same thing.

"Shalom, Eli and I take it you are Agent Gibbs," said Nettie as she recognized their presence.

"It is, ma'am," said Gibbs.

"Now you were most definitely military," said Nettie.

"Marines, ma'am," he said.

"Please, call me Nettie," she said.

"People call me just Gibbs," he said.

"Has dinner been served yet?" asked Eli.

"No, we waited for you," said Nettie.

"We are here," he said.

"I can see," said Nettie, who then spoke to Ziva and Hannah in Hebrew.

Hannah handed her Aaron and she and Ziva got up and exited the room.

"They will heat things up then we can eat," said Nettie. "Come in, Gibbs, and sit down."

Gibbs noticed how quiet and content the young girl sitting in Tony's lap seemed. He was surprised by this, as he knew kids were one of DiNozzo's phobias. It brought a smile to his face to see him dealing well with one.

"Who is your friend?" Gibbs asked Tony.

"Boss, this is the mini-ninja Anna," said Tony. "Anna, this is my boss Gibbs."

"Shalom, Gibbs," she said.

"Shalom, Anna," smiled Gibbs.

Eli sat on the sofa along with Gibbs.

"How are you feeling, Anthony?" he asked.

"Better, much better. It was nice getting out of the room," said Tony.

"You will be back on your face in no time," said Eli.

"Is Kort gone yet?" he asked.

"No. He will not be going until we have Benoit or the suitcase. Until then he is our prison. The prison may be an apartment, but he is most definitely a prisoner," said Eli.

"You should give him to the CIA," growled Tony.

"I know you have a history with him, Anthony, a deal is a deal. Anyway, we will know where he is when the time comes to kill him," said Eli. "And the time will come."

"You don't trust him?" asked Tony.

"Neither do I trust or like him," said Eli.

"Kort won't be a problem from now on," said Gibbs. "He knows he has few friends left ad that too many spy agencies are after him."

"Shame if he doesn't survive," Tony said coldly.

Eli looked at Tony and noted his attitude towards Kort. He was capable of ordering a hit he now guessed as long as he believed the target deserved it. It was worth nothing this fact.

"Dinner is served," Hannah said as she appeared.

The rest of the evening went well. Ziva slowly warmed up to Eli and finally started answering some of his questions. Hannah and the kids were told that they were staying the night by Eli along with Nettie and Gibbs. With this Ziva decided to put Tony to bed. She got up and got behind his wheelchair.

"Say goodnight, Tony," she said.

"Goodnight everyone," he said.

She pushed him out of the room leaving Gibbs, Eli, and Nettie.

"She loves him," said Nettie.

Both Gibbs and Eli sighed at the same time.

"You don't approve," said Nettie looking at Gibbs.

"They're teammates. I have a rule against dating," he said.

"I know if Ziva has decided to pursue him then your rules won't stop her," Nettie said with a smile.

"I know," said Gibbs.

"I have grown to like Agent DiNozzo," said Eli. "I am not sure I want him as a son-in-law."

"I have seen the men who have pushed at her, Eli. They were all Mossad loyalists who thought you shit gold," Nettie said.

"I have made mistakes," said Eli.

"Mistakes," snorted Nettie then she looked at Gibbs. "Rules, really?"

"Teammate romances don't work," said Gibbs.

"Last time I checked only God could control the hearts of mere mortals. Are you God, Agent Gibbs?" she asked sarcastically. "If you are then you are a tin god."

Eli looked over at Gibbs and tried to hide a smile. Nettie stood up. She looked over at both men.

"They are adults, so leave them alone. If they are in love then let them have it. If it doesn't work then at least they tried," she said. "I am going to bed now."

She walked out of the living room leaving Gibbs and Eli alone.

"I could use a drink," said Eli.

"Yeah," said Gibbs.

Eli walked over to a cabinet, opened it, and took out a bottle and two glasses. He poured two drinks then walked over to Gibbs and handed him one.

Gibbs sampled it, "Hmm, bourbon."

"I thought we deserved it after being lectured by Nettie," Eli said.

"Scary woman," said Gibbs.

"You have no idea," sighed Eli.

NCIS

Gibbs and Eli took off after breakfast in order to speak to Vance and more the next phase of the op forward. Ziva took Anna and Aaron into the backyard to play with Nettie, leaving Hannah and Tony alone. They sat across from each other. Hannah had a tea and Tony convinced Ziva to let him have a coffee.

"Ziva is taking good care of you?" she asked.

"She's bossing me so she's happy," he smiled.

A silence descended on them. They stared at each other with the sounds of the children laughing and playing in the background. Tony knew he had developed feelings for Hannah, deep feelings. He needed to say something.

"You know if Ziva stayed in DC and decided to keep the status quo of our relationship then," he started to say but she raised her hand and stopped him.

"But Ziva is here and she has laid claim to you," smiled Hannah.

"Hannah, part of me feels like I'm making a mistake," Tony admitted.

"Do you love her?" Hannah asked.

"Yeah. I have for some time," Tony answered.

"I am happy for you," she smiled.

"Hannah," he started to say then pause.

He was frustrated because he wasn't sure what to say. Hannah stood up and walked over to him. She leaned down and gave him a kiss. Tony responded to the kiss wanting more, but she pulled away.

"I am going to play with the kids," she said then walked away.

Tony sat there alone for a few minutes. He sipped his coffee and wondered what might have been with Hannah. Suddenly, warm hands touched his cheeks. He moved his wheelchair back and spun it around to see Ziva standing there.

"Hello, ninja," he said then he gathered her up into his lap.

"Ani ohevet ot'cha," she said.

"Translate please," he said.

"I love you," she said in a husky voice then kissed him.

When they came up for air, Tony had a smile brightening up his face.

"I love you, too," he said.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Thirteen

The mission had been planned and scheduled, so the next step was final preparations. The Seals were running through a simulation on their end, while Eli had Scott and a hand-picked group of six Kidon unit officers running through one. Gibbs had decided that it would be a good time to have a long talk with his senior field agent. Taking the morning, he drove to Haifa and found Tony in the backyard of the house watching Ziva and Hannah play with Anna and Aaron.

"Gibbs, this is a surprise," Ziva said, as he walked from the inside the house and out into the backyard area.

He was impressed the small grove of oil trees, as well as the beautiful garden area. Tony was parked under an umbrella in his wheelchair looking restless. He also looked like a man with something on his mind, as he noticed Tony's eyes lingered on Hannah.

"I need to talk to DiNozzo, he said.

"Oh," she said.

DiNozzo looked over at Gibbs and smiled. He was looking forward to a distraction.

"Indoors or out?" he asked Tony.

"Indoors," Tony said.

Gibbs came up behind him and pushed him into the house. They continued into the living room area where he parked Tony then sat down on the sofa.

"We need to talk," Gibbs said.

"You ready to take Benoit and get the suitcase?" he asked.

"We need to talk about rules and the effect breaking them has on the team," Gibbs said.

"Oh, you want to talk about Ziva and me," Tony sighed.

"First off, Ziva told me that she is breaking rule 12 regardless what I think, which led to my giving her permission. Now I want to talk to you about it," Gibbs said.

"Boss, I…," Tony started but Gibbs stopped him.

"What is this between you and Ziva's cousin?" he asked.

Tony blushed. He should have known that Gibbs would notice the way he was looking at Hannah. The man always knew how to read him.

"I don't know, Boss," Tony said.

"The truth, DiNozzo," Gibbs demanded. "Remember, I always know when you are lying to me."

"I kissed her," he said.

"DiNozzo, I'm not eleven. Bottom line this for me before we start braiding each other's hair," Gibbs said.

"I have deep feelings for her, Boss," he admitted. "I sort of fell for her and her kids while I was staying with them. I'm not sure if it's love but I feel something deep for her."

"Okay, let me see if I have this right – for seven years you have danced around Ziva. The two of you have caused me more grey hair trying to make sure you two kept in line, yet now when I finally let the inevitable happen, you fall for her cousin. Is that right?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah, maybe," answered Tony.

"Bullshit," growled Gibbs. "Get your head out of your ass and look at this situation for what it really is."

Tony felt his face burn as his cheeks turned red. He was about to have Gibbs run around in his head like a rat and he knew it wasn't going to be fun.

"Ziva isn't Wendy, DiNozzo. You don't have to sabotage this relationship because she isn't going to leave you at the altar. You can actually give this one a chance," Gibbs said.

"Boss," DiNozzo mumbled.

"Just listen," Gibbs said. "Ziva and you might work or you might end up with one of you dead and the other in handcuffs. I'm not sure which it will be, but form day one you two were meant to break my rules. Now you are probably scared by the fact that the woman you flirted with, the woman you went to Somalia to in order to revenge and ended up rescuing, the woman who has been the most constant women in your life since your mother is finally ready to take a chance with you. It scares you, so you find yourself attracted to her cousin because that makes sense, right?"

"Boss," he mumbled again.

"Hannah is nice and she's probably safe. Ziva is the woman who just might own your heart like Wendy once did. Well, Wendy broke that heart and sent you off a decade long avoidance of falling in love, except for Jeanne and Ziva. Jeanne didn't work out and now you have a chance to screw up with Ziva. Hannah isn't the answer, DiNozzo. You know it. Ziva owns your heart. Now this is the most I've said in a long time, so you better have listened to what I just said," Gibbs told him then stood up.

Tony smiled, "Thanks, Boss."

"Consider it a verbal head slap," Gibbs said then he glared at him. "Oh, and I have something else to say, Dinozzo, keep it out of work. I don't want to see hand holding or anything in the workplace or I'll kick your ass. And one more thing, if you hurt her, guess who will be the one looking for a new team?"

"I got it, Boss," Tony said.

"Don't screw up, Tony. There isn't any reason to this time," Gibbs said.

"Thanks, Boss," he said.

"When will you be out of the wheelchair and able to move around?" Gibbs asked.

"Now if Ziva would let me. I'm sick of being in this thing," he said.

"I'll talk to her. I want you in the Command Center watching with Eli and me when the mission goes down. This wouldn't have happened with you," Gibbs said.

"Get me a cane and I'll be there," smiled Tony.

NCIS

Eli along with Gibbs, Tony, who leaned heavily on a wooden cane, and Ziva stood in the Command Center watching the green image from someone's nightvision feed. They were coming up to a well-guarded compound. They could hear the audio, also. It was in Hebrew mainly, but finally Teo spoke in English for the sake of Scott.

"Silent and deadly, Mr. Former Navy Seal," he said. "Use suppressors and knives."

"Sounds like fun," said Scott.

Tony smiled. He had grown fond of him during this op. If he ever got his own team permanently, he'd like him on it.

"Let us hope that your Seals are quick in getting there," said Eli.

"Three stealth helicopters have left Afghanistan a half hour ago and should be there soon. Let's hope the suitcase is still there," Gibbs said.

Ziva reached over and took Tony's free hand in hers. There was nothing they could do but wait, watch, and hope for the best. Tony turned his head and looked at her. Since Gibbs had his talk with him, he knew that he was a fool to think he wasn't in love with Ziva. Wendy had left scars, deep ones, but it was time to let those scars fade away. She was the right woman for him. Maybe she wasn't easy, and maybe she thought herself his superior in some ways, but he was right when he told he that he couldn't live without her.

He mouthed the words, "I love you."

She smiled and squeezed his hand.

On the screen a man's throat was cut and another shot with a Jericho with a suppressor on it. The carnage had begun and it wasn't easy to watch. At least, it wasn't easy for Tony. For Ziva, Eli, and Gibbs it was a mission being carried out, but Tony it was death and too much of it. He was a cop not a marine or a spy or an assassin.

The carnage continued. Benoit was seen being taken by Scott and Teo. They were questioning him quickly when the whispering sound of the stealth helicopters could be heard over the audio. Voices started to speak in Hebrew.

"The Seals are here and Benoit is in custody," said Eli. "So far no suitcase."

"We need him here as soon as possible for interrogation," said Gibbs.

"I believe you are right," said Eli. "I am afraid he has sold the suitcase."

The Seals landed and efficiently started to terminate everyone in their path. They knew their mission now was to collect the prisoner and any evidence of the suitcase that they could. Scott waved to them then he and several Seals ran into Benoit's mansion. Sixty seconds later, they exited and Scott appeared to be pissed. The Kidon, Seals, Benoit, and Scott got on the helicopters and took off.

Scott grabbed the attention of the one wearing the nightvision with the feed.

"Look at me," he ordered.

The man did as he was told.

"I went to his desk like he told me and found his bank book with a bank in Nevis. He had recently had a deposit of fifty million dollars," said Scott. "He told us with a smile that was the suitcase."

Eli growled. They were too late. Quietly and efficiently, Julian Benoit had made his sale. Well, he was going to tell them who he sold it the suitcase to then they were going to go after it. As long as it hadn't gone off, they still had a chance to stop it from going off.

"I need to tell Vance that he has to alert every agency that a nuke suitcase has been sold," said Gibbs.

"I will set you up with a connection," said Eli. "Tell Leon that we are not going to stop until we have it."

Gibbs nodded.

Ziva looked at Tony. He saw the mix of concern and fear in her eyes.

"We're the good guys, Ziva; we'll win in the end," he said.

"I hope so, Tony," she replied.

He understood that they were standing in a city that was a potential target, yet somehow he really did feel confident that they would succeed.

"You trust me, right?" he asked.

"More than anyone else I know," she smiled.

"Yeah, we'll win," he grinned.

NCIS

Instead of going back to Hannah's or Haifa, Tony and Ziva took one of the Mossad apartments and retired there after a long day. Benoit was headed back to them. According to Gibbs, he'd be there in six hours. Gibbs then told them to get rest because their need it.

When they entered the apartment, Tony limped over the sofa and collapsed onto it. Ziva disappeared into the bedroom. It had been a long day and so far everything he had done added up to no suitcase. _We should have gotten to him quicker. My op makes it my fault. _

Tony put his head back and closed his eyes. If the nuke went off, he knew he was going to feel guilty. No matter what anyone said, he'd feel guilty. It was his job to get the damned thing and so far, he had failed. Taking a deep breath, he let out a long exhalation of air from his lung.

"It's not your fault," Ziva said.

Tony smiled. She had read his mind. Opening his eyes, he saw Ziva standing in front of him with nothing on except one of his Ohio State Basketball tee shirts.

"My op, my fault, so far," he said.

She took his cane from him and tossed it aside then she straddled his lap.

"You and I have lots to talk about, but not now," she said then she kissed him.

At first, it was a gentle kiss but it quicker deepened and grew in intensity. Tony's hands slowly worked their way under the tee shirt and cupped Ziva's breast causing her to moan slightly in his mouth. As he took his thumbs and ran them across her nipples, she began to rotate her hips grinding away in his lap. Now it was Tony's turn to groan. Finally, Ziva pulled away from their kiss allowing them both to take a breath.

"Zi, are you sure about this?" he asked her.

She nodded causing her some of her hair to fall in front of her face. He took his right hand away from her breast and moved the hair out of her face.

"Are you sure about us?" he asked.

"Tony, sometimes you talk too much," she said.

He looked into her smoldering eyes. Ziva took her hands and put them on either side of his face then captured his lips again. This time she kissed him as if she was ravenous. He took this as a yes to his question and with one smooth motion lifted the tee up and over her head.

Ziva smiled at him, "You are overdressed."

"For once, Agent David, I can't argue with you," he said.

"Good. Get undressed," she said, as she removed herself from his lap and stood naked in front of him. "We have to get up tomorrow and I think we have wasted enough time."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fourteen

Julian Benoit sat in the Mossad interrogation room. It had no amenities, no clock, no windows, nothing on the grey walls, just a table, and some chairs. Julian sat in one chair on one side of the table while there were two empty ones on the other side. Behind the two-way mirror Tony, Ziva, Teo, and Liat stood waiting for Gibbs and Eli to enter the room. Tony leaned on his cane, as he stared at Benoit.

Julian Benoit was dark haired and dark eyed. He bore a resemblance to Rene, except Rene had the air of a gentleman while Julian was an arrogant bastard. Ziva looped her left arm through Tony's right.

"We will find the case," she said softly to him.

"I know," he smiled.

"MI-6, MI-5, CIA, Homeland Security, NCIS, Mossad, and a dozen other agencies are already actively looking for it," said Teo.

"Whoever has it will feel the noose tightening around their neck," said Liat.

"Whoever has it knows exactly what they want to do with it and doesn't give a shit what we do," Tony said.

Ziva looked at him. Although, Tony was an amateur in the spy business, she knew that he had moments where he understood the situation better than anyone else. She often thought this was the reason Gibbs thought so highly of him, until she realized Gibbs had many reasons he thought highly of Tony. It took her time to understand that.

"What the hell do you mean?" asked Teo.

"I mean whoever bought this has a plan and probably doesn't care if we know they have it. The case is probably already in play. It won't be a plane or something obvious. This time it is going to be something new," Tony said.

"How do you know this?" asked Liat sounding superior and annoyed.

"Because they have managed to get a suitcase nuke and they managed to do it without us knowing. If Al Qaeda or some other terrorist group we know had bought the suitcase, we'd know about it. They can't keep their mouths shut. They'd be bragging about it over the internet, in cellphone calls, even probably sending us a message telling us," he pointed out. "Whoever bought it is new to the scene and they have money and probably brains."

"We'll see," said Liat.

Ziva looked at Tony and smiled. Somehow, she knew he was right.

Eli and Gibbs finally walked into the interrogation room and sat down. The moment Julian looked at them, the two stone faced, imposing men, Tony could tell he was going to talk to them. He felt superior to them, born to the manner, and he was going to be broken by their kind. _The arrogance of too much wealth and not knowing you are not the hottest shit in the world. I could have been him if I became the man my father wanted me to be. _

They watched Eli and Gibbs do their best to try and crack Julian Benoit. It went on for hours. Ziva and Tony took some time to get lunch at an outdoor café.

"Zi, are you glad to be back home in Israel?" he asked her.

"I admit I have missed it. But, DC with you, Gibbs, McGee, Abby, Ducky, and even Jimmy has become home, too. I feel comfortable there, loved," she told him.

"You are loved," he said.

"Then I am not going to lose you to Hannah," she smiled.

He blushed, which was un-DiNozzo-like. Ziva laughed at his discomfort.

"You can be mean," he said.

"I used to be deadly," she smirked.

"Good point," he said.

She looked at her wristwatch the sighed. A nuclear suitcase could go off in Tel Aviv or Haifa in minutes changing the world and she wanted to forget everything and spend time with Tony. Duty called, though, and she was raised to perform her duty.

"We need to get back," she said to him.

"I know. I don't want to, but I know," Tony said. "I think I know how to help them deal with Benoit," said Tony.

"How?" she asked.

"Let me talk to him," Tony said while waggling his eyebrow.

"I don't think my father will let that happen," Ziva said.

"I don't know. He's sort of gotten used to me," Tony said.

Ziva had her Mona Lisa smile. It was amazing at how much she had gotten used to Tony DiNozzo.

NCIS

Gibbs and Eli stood behind the two-way mirror now staring at Julian Benoit. Four and half hours and still he didn't even supply them with a hint of a clue. Teo and Liat gave them a wide berth, as both men seemed to be ready to chew the heads off puppies. Tony and Ziva entered the room.

"Anything?" asked Ziva.

"No," growled Eli.

"You cannot break him," said Ziva.

"We'll break him," said Gibbs.

"Hey, Boss, let me talk to him," said Tony.

Eli looked over at him and snorted. DiNozzo was growing on him, and he remembered his own time in a room similar to the one Benoit was in. He was the interrogator and DiNozzo turned the table on him.

"I am in favor of letting Agent DiNozzo talk to him," said Eli.

Gibbs looked at Tony. He knew the younger man was over his injuries, yet he trusted Tony. Benoit was the kind of man it would take Gibbs days to break. They didn't have days.

"You up to this, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah, Boss, I'm up for this," said Tony.

Gibbs looked into Tony's eyes. He didn't want him hurt more than he'd already been hurt. Ziva moved closer to his side in order to give Tony support. This drew a smile from Gibbs.

"Get the information we need," said Gibbs.

In front of everyone, Ziva got on her tiptoes and gave him a soft kiss. Tony nodded at Gibbs then limped out of the room. Eli walked over to Gibbs and his daughter.

"Having been on the wrong end of one Agent DiNozzo's interviews, which I wish to forget, I feel sorry for Mr. Benoit. He's about to he played," said Eli.

"Like a fiddle," smiled Gibbs.

Tony limped into the interrogation room. Julian Benoit watched him with a smug expression on his face. He sat down in the chair and started to play with his cane ignoring Benoit.

"I prefer wooden canes to metal ones," Tony said. "See this metal one it's supposed to be better for you, stronger, handle more weight, but ut has o style. I want one of those canes with the silver handle, maybe a wolf handle."

"You like style?" asked Benoit.

"Oh, hell, yeah. Now some weapons dealers have style. The Frog had style, real style," said Tony.

"Rene did have style," said Julian.

"Want to play a game?" asked Tony.

"A game," chuckled Julian. "Isn't this already a game?"

"No, this is this," smiled Tony quoting the _Deer Hunter_ and knowing Julian didn't know the quote. "I'm talking about a game with a winner and a loser."

"Let us play a game then," said Julian.

"Okay, here's the game. We get to ask each other five questions. Now we have to be honest and we can't avoid the question. First, you go then I go and so on and so forth. At the end the person he knows someone's secret wins," smiled Tony. "Go on and ask me a question."

"Why do you have a cane?" Julian asked.

"I was shot," said Tony. "Now it's my turn. What's your favorite color?"

"Blue," answered Julian.

"Blue, I like blue, too," nodded Tony. "You're turn."

"Who do you work for?" he asked.

"NCIS or Naval Criminal Investigation Service. I'm a navy cop, a down low on the ladder fed," smiled Tony. "My turn. Question number two, what is your favorite movie?"

"If I had to have a favorite movie it would be _The Godfather_," Julian answered.

"Yeah, great film. Michael a real bastard, huh?" smiled Tony. "Some great line in that movie. My favorite is: leave the gun, take the cannolis. Third question, you first."

"Why are you in Israeli?" he asked.

"Because of you and the nuke suitcase," answered Tony.

"Sorry about that," smiled Julian.

"My third question," said Tony. "Do you like your relatives?"

Julian smiled. He didn't answer right away but took a second.

"Not all of them. Actually, most of my relatives I love dearly unless they turn against the family," he said.

"Okay, fourth question," said Tony.

"Why did you fuck Jeanne?" Julian asked.

Tony smirked, "You know who I am."

"Of course, Agent DiNozzo," said Julian.

"I slept with Jeanne because I fell in love with her," Tony answered.

Julian smiled. It was a reptile smile.

"Your mistake," he said.

"Not my first," said Tony.

Behind the two-way mirror, they watched. Eli, Gibbs, and Ziva were silent, as Teo and Liat complained.

"He is wasting an opportunity. Is he an idiot?" asked Teo.

"I would have him talking by now," said Liat.

"Listen and learn," said Eli.

Back in the room, Tony put his cane on the table. He stared at Julian for several minutes.

"Do you hate your brother?" he asked.

"Yes. He is an embarrassment. I would kill him if you could," said Julian.

"Harsh, really harsh," said Tony. "Final question. Go."

"Did you help turn Jeanne against me?" he asked.

"Yes," Tony answered.

Julian's face darkened, "That was a rude thing to do turning family against family."

"Yeah, well, I have family issues," smiled Tony. "Are you a friend of Prince Omar or his sons?"

"His sons," he answered.

Tony laughed.

"Okay, Julian, what is my secret?" he asked him.

"You love Jeanne still," Julian answered.

Tony smiled and nodded his no, "Sorry, I love someone else. She is the most beautiful, sexy, remarkable woman I ever met."

"I tried. Your turn. What is my secret?" he asked.

"You sold the suitcase to Prince Abdalla Ibn Alwaan," said Tony.

Julian turned white. Tony was right.

"How the fuck do you know?" Julian yelled.

"I played five questions with you," said Tony.

Tony stood up, turned and looked at the two-way mirror, and offered them his best smile.

Behind the two-way mirror, Gibbs smiled along with Ziva. Eli looked at his two officers.

"I hope you have learned something here," said Eli.

"Yes, sir, don't play questions with Agent DiNozzo," said Teo.

NCIS

They gathered in the Command Center to inform Vance who was behind the nuclear suitcase. Up on the screen a tired looking Vance appeared.

"Leon, you look like you need rest," said Eli.

"When this is over," said Vance.

"We are looking for Prince Abdalla Ibn Alwaan," said Eli. "He purchased the suitcase."

"I let every in the pipeline know. Good job, Eli," said Vance.

"It was Agent DiNozzo who broke Julian Benoit," said Eli.

Vance smiled, "He surprises. What are you going to do with Julian Benoit?"

"It is best you do not know. Suffice to say that he will not be selling any more weapons," said Eli.

"I understand," said Vance. "Gibbs, I need you back in the US to start searching for Abdalla."

"Director, I suggest we leave Agents DiNozzo, David, and Scott here to start an investigation from here," said Gibbs.

"Is Agent DiNozzo up to it?" asked Vance.

"Yes, sir, I am," Tony spoke up. "I need to use a cane still, but that won't interfere with investigating."

"Okay, but don't do more than investigate. You find anything either call in Eli or NCIS," said Vance.

"Yes, sir," said Tony.

"Eli, good hunting," said Vance.

"You, too, my friend," said Eli.

Vance's image disappeared. Eli turned and looked at Gibbs.

"You need to gather Agent Call and catch a plane," said Eli.

"I know," replied Gibbs, who turned and looked at Tony.

He leaned into him and spoke softly so that only Tony could hear, "Make me proud."

When Gibbs stepped back, he gently tapped Tony on the cheek with his right hand then looked at Ziva, "Make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble, Ziver."

"I will, Gibbs," said Ziva.

Gibbs strode out of the Command Center.

"To him she listens," said Eli.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Fifteen

Tony requested the assignment to travel back to Dubai and interview Prince Omar. With his father's relationship with the man, as well as his own time spent with Prince Sayif as his bodyguard, he thought he had a chance to gain information others wouldn't be able to gain. Standing in the Command Center, he was waiting for Vance's response.

The image of the Director came up on the plasma screen. He looked overworked and annoyed.

"Agent DiNozzo, I've talked with the SecNav about your request," Vance started then he paused. "Can I trust you to do this, DiNozzo, without causing an international incident?"

"Sir, I believe my father's relationship with Prince Omar gives me an advantage. He may hold information that might help. Someone has to speak to him, so why not me?" asked Tony.

"Okay, get a flight to Dubai and talk to him. If you get anything that can be followed up on, I want you to follow up on it," said Vance.

"Thank you, sir," said Tony. "I keep you updated on things."

"I'll expect to hear from you and your team," said Vance.

The screen went blank. Tony smiled. He turned using his cane and limped out of the Mossad Command Center. Once he left the Command Center, Tony proceeded to Eli's office. He got there to find Eli's secretary telling to take a seat because Deputy Director David was taking care of important business.

Tony sat down and looked at the coffee table. There were Israeli newspapers and magazines on the table. Since he didn't read, write, or speak Hebrew, he decided to play a movie in his mind while he waited. The problem was picking the right movie. He considered _Three Days of the Condor_ since it was a classic spy film then thought a comedy might be more appropriate, like _Some Like it Hot_. Yet, when push came to shove, it was a classic James Bond he went for – _From Russia with Love_.

In his mind, he wondered who would play the Robert Shaw role if it was remade today. Of course, Daniel Craig was the current Bond. He was good, not the best, but a solid Bond.

The secretary's intercom buzzed. Tony listened to her respond inn Hebrew then looked up at him.

"Deputy Director David will see you," she said.

"Thank you," he said then got up putting most of his weight on the cane and went into the office.

Eli was sitting behind his desk with one of his many minions sitting on a sofa. He motioned Tony to sit, so he did in a chair in front of the desk.

"Leon tells me you are off to Dubai," said Eli.

"We'll be off tomorrow if all goes well," said Tony.

"You think Prince Omar will talk to you about his son," said Eli.

"I think he might," said Tony.

"Thin, huh?" said Eli.

For a few moments one of lions of spy business stared at Tony. He took in the agent in front of him and tried to think why his daughter was more devoted to him than any of her male partners in Mossad. It was more than Somalia.

Tony nonchalantly stared back at Eli. The man at times scared Tony, but most of the time he pissed him off. No matter how much their relationship had warmed, Tony couldn't let go of Somalia. He almost lost Ziva because of him.

"We will have dinner tonight before you leave. I'll invite Hannah and the children and Nettie. Who knows how long it will be before Ziva is back in Israel?" Eli said.

"Where?" Tony asked.

"Haifa. You can fly out of there," he said.

"I'll let Ziva know," Tony said.

"Good," Eli said. "I'll see you this evening."

Tony knew he had been dismissed. He stood up and smiled at Eli then walked out trying to limp less.

NCIS

Ziva looked less than thrilled at the prospects of a final family dinner. She paced around the Haifa house backyard. A cook arrived earlier to prepare the meal.

"My father is a devious man. A family dinner is never just a family dinner," she said.

"We will be in Dubai tomorrow. All you have to do is get through tonight," he said.

"He is up to something," said Ziva.

"Zi, can you come here?" Tony asked.

Reluctantly, Ziva walked over to where Tony sat. When she got close enough, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into his lap.

"Should I be sitting on your bad leg?" she asked.

"It's more painful to watch you pace and be upset then have you sit here," he said.

Ziva lowered her head onto his shoulder and sighed, "This is my home, but I don't belong here anymore."

"I can't of like where you are right now," Tony said then smiled.

"And where is that?" she said.

"With me," he said then kissed her neck.

Ziva took her right hand and repositioned his chin then kissed him. As they kissed, Nettie walked out into the backyard.

"So much passion," she remarked.

Her words had the effect of a bucket of cold water being dumped on them Ziva sat up quickly leaving Tony with an empty lap.

"Ziva, you are leaving so soon," said Nettie.

"Duty dictates what I do," Ziva said.

"Duty to who?" asked Nettie then she looked at Tony, who wished he could disappear.

"Duty to my job," she answered.

"Ah, well, then I can't convince you to stay a little longer," smiled Nettie.

Tony stood up, switched hands with his can, and cleared his throat.

"I think I'll pack. We leave in the morning," he said then he left Nettie and Ziva to talk.

"Do you love him?" Nettie asked.

"Yes," Ziva answered curtly.

She didn't like the idea of being questioned, but she knew it was unavoidable.

"He isn't Jewish," said Nettie.

"I know," said Ziva.

"What will you raise the children as?" she asked.

"Children? Nettie, we have only started dating. It is too early to talk about children," said Ziva.

"It is never too early to talk about children," said Nettie.

"We are both federal agents with jobs that can be dangerous. I don't know about children," Ziva said.

"You wouldn't want his children?" asked Nettie.

"What? I… I haven't thought about it," said Ziva.

"You haven't thought about having a child?" asked Nettie.

Ziva couldn't lie to her. She had considered children with Ray. Yet, she hadn't really thought about that sort of life with Tony. Would he make a good father? Would he even want to be father? Tony had his own issues when it came to parents and children.

"I have thought about it," she answered.

"If you love him and you want children then be honest with him. As far as it being too new, you two have known each other for a long time. Maybe sex is new, but that is all," said Nettie. "You know him."

She did know him. He was always there for her when she needed someone.

"I know him," said Ziva.

"Do you want his children?" she asked.

Ziva smiled, "Yes."

"Remember this, Ziva, in a relationship men may be the head of the family but women are the neck and the neck turns the head," Nettie smiled.

"I need to pack," Ziva smiled.

NCIS

Tony had his bag packed. He had to admit that he didn't miss his suits so far on this mission. Maybe he didn't need expensive suits anymore in his life.

The door to his room opened and he turned to see Ziva. Her eyes were smoldering with desire. He wondered what she had been talking about with her aunt.

"Zi…," before he could say anything else, she attacked him.

She caught his mouth with hers shutting him up. He could feel the overwhelming desire she felt and it feed his own. Within seconds then were stripping each other on the bed.

As he kissed his way down Ziva's torso, Tony stopped for a moment and looked up at Ziva.

"I hope to hell your father doesn't come home early," he said then continued his journey in a southern direction down her body.

NCIS

A plate of honey-roasted chicken, corn on the cob, and grapes was placed in front of Tony. Eli had arrived an hour after Ziva and Tony finished making love and had showered and changed their clothes. Now Hannah, her father Abraham David, the children, Nettie, Ziva, Tony, and Eli sat at the dining room table for dinner.

Tony was surprised by Abraham David. He was the polar opposite of Eli, as he was a warm, open, and easily accessible man.

"I wish there was more time, Tony, I would show you the horses I raise," said Abraham.

"I would have liked that," said Tony.

"All Abraham cares about is his horses," said Eli.

"I'm sorry that I don't bleed over the affairs of state, Eli, but I have one life to live and I choose to live it differently than you," said Abraham.

"Enough bickering," said Nettie. "Tony and Ziva leave tomorrow. We should talk to them about their future plans."

"Huh? Future plans?" asked Tony.

"You love each other and have known each other for many years, so I expect you'll be wanting to have more than a boyfriend girlfriend relationship," said Nettie.

Eli smiled.

"She wants to know when you intend to get married," said Eli.

"Marriage?" said Tony.

Ziva closed her eyes. She should have known this was the plan by Nettie and Eli. They wanted her married and producing the next David line.

"I think you should marry in Israeli," said Eli.

"Marriage?" repeated Tony.

"Yes, Anthony," said Nettie. "Marriage, children, these are important things to discuss."

"Yeah, sure they are," said Tony.

"So as family we should discuss them," said Nettie.

Tony looked over at Ziva for help. She smiled at him. Ziva was taking advantage of her family's little trap for him by letting him take the heat. All she had to do was keep her mouth shut and he'd be the one stumbling and bumbling around avoiding answering them. He took a deep breath.

"Okay, I can plan this game," he said under his breath then he looked over at Hannah, who nodded encouragingly to him. "I would love to marry Ziva and I'm willing to do so in Israel."

He looked over at Ziva and was pleased to see a look of shock on her face.

"And when you have children what religion will they be raised?" asked Eli.

"We'd have to discuss it, but I'm not against them be raised as Reformed Judaism," Tony said. _I've never been that religious but they can be so reformed that they are Catholics. Two can play this game. _He smiled.

"Tony, we don't need to talk about this now," said Ziva.

"Why not, Zi?" he asked.

"Because we should talk about things between ourselves first," she said.

Tony looked from Eli to Nettie then offered them a sympathetic smile, "She is the boss. I have to listen to her."

"I keep underestimating you, Anthony," said Eli.

"I think we heard enough for now," added Nettie.

"Let's finish our dinner," said Eli.

After dinner, Tony went on the back to play with Anna, as coffee and tea was being prepared. Since he was hampered by a cane, she settled for him reading a story. She ran into the house and got the English language book she was reading, then settled herself on his lap and let him read to her.

As Tony read to Anna Ziva and Hannah went to change Aaron and talk. With the baby on the bed having his diaper changed, Ziva started the conversation.

"Hannah, you know that I do love him, right?" Ziva started.

"I know, Ziva," Hannah smiled. "He was the first man since my husband's death that I felt anything for. That doesn't mean he'll be the last."

"He is a good man," Ziva said, "even though he pretends not to be sometimes."

"He loves you," said Hannah, who then smiled. "So, you will get married in Israel."

"He spoke without my permission," Ziva said.

"He's not as easy to manipulate as some men you've been with, though I have the feeling that he'll do whatever you want," Hannah told her.

"Do you think so?" smiled Ziva.

"Oh, yes," answered Hannah.

Back in the backyard with the sun setting and the backlights on, Nettie watched Tony with Anna. She nodded approvingly as the young girl interrupted him and asked questions about the story and Tony answered them as best as he could. Soon Anna had her head resting on Tony's shoulder. Nettie decided he'd be a good father.

NCIS

Hannah and the children were gone and Nettie was in the guest bedroom. Eli took the time to enjoy a cognac and a cigar in the backyard. There was a whiff of sea salt on the air, as the breeze came from off the water. With Ziva packing, Tony came out to the backyard to get some fresh air before bed.

"Dubai in the morning," said Eli.

"Yes, sir," he answered.

"No reason to call me, sir," Eli said. "When you are married to Ziva, I'll expect you to call me Eli even when we are doing business with each other."

"Oh," was Tony's reply.

"Cognac?" he offered.

"No, thank you. I'm still on medication. The last thing we need is me getting goofy from drinking while on meds," Tony said.

"When this is all over, I expect you and Ziva back here for a proper visit," said Eli, "maybe even a marriage."

"That will be up to Ziva," said Tony.

"You do everything she says?" asked Eli.

"The majority," Tony said.

Eli nodded his head in approval.

"If you hurt her or cheat on her, I'll have my best assassin kill you," said Eli.

"Wow, and I thought Ziva was scary," sighed Tony.

Eli laughed then he gave Tony a slap on the back.

"I might hate having you killed," smiled Eli.

"I know I'd hate it," Tony replied.

Eli laughed again.

"Leon hates your sense of humor. He says it occurs at the most inopportune times. I like it. Don't lose it," Eli said then he lowered his voice. "You protect my daughter. This op is far from over."

"I'll protect her with my life," said Tony.

"I know," said Eli then he stared to walk back into the house. "Have a good flight tomorrow, Anthony."

"Fucking family is crazy then mine," Tony said under his breath.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Sixteen

They were back in Dubai. It arranged for rooms in the same hotel as before. Ziva and Scott weren't too sure about this visit, but Tony was sure that Prince Omar would assist them. He remembered the disappointment on the man's face when he learned that one son tried to kill the other then he did his best to protect both sons. This time there was no protecting Prince Abdalla.

Once checked into the hotel, Tony made the call to Prince Omar. Over the phone, he explained the urgency of the situation and hoped that the Prince would see him right away. Prince Omar told him to come to his beach home within the hour. Scott rented a car and they were off.

Omar's beach home was a compound with gate, security walls, and a private beach. As the car entered the grounds, Tony caught a glimpse of Prince Abdalla on the private beach. He appeared to have several bodyguards around him. _I wonder if that is to protect him or to keep him from leaving. _

The car stopped in front of the house and Omar's chief of security was there to greet them. He was an Englishman, former SAS.

"Prince Omar told me that you're NCIS," said the security. "Any weapons?"

"No," said Tony.

The chief of security looked closely at Scott and Ziva and smiled.

"Yeah, you have weapons, mate," he said. "You two are highly trained. I can tell. What are you Special Forces?"

"Former Navy Seal," said Scott.

"And you?" he asked Ziva.

"Mossad," she said.

"You two aren't getting close to Omar," he said then he looked at Tony. "You're alright."

"Meaning I'm not dangerous," said Tony.

He looked at the cane and smiled, "Meaning I can handle you easily enough if you tried anything."

"I see Omar alone then," said Tony.

Ziva was going to speak up, but Tony silenced her with a look. This was too important to argue about.

"They'll stay in the hallway under guard if you like," said Tony.

"I think that's a good idea," the security chief said.

Within fifteen minutes as the security chief made arrangements, Tony found himself in a private library waiting for Omar. He sat down in a leather armchair to rest his tired leg. Soon Omar in a hand tailored suit that Tony knew must cost close to ten grand came into the room. He didn't speak at first but poured a glass of some very expensive whiskey for himself and Tony in crystal glasses. He handed Tony a glass and sat down in the leather armchair across from the one Tony sat in.

"I understand why you are here, Agent DiNozzo," said Omar. "As an old friend's son, I ask some indulgences."

"Like what?" asked Tony.

"My son Abdalla is here under guard. I will not let him roam free until I am sure he is over his crazy ideas, but I will not let him speak to you. He will not tell you anything and it brings nothing but shame to me to see how he has perverted his beliefs," said Omar.

"Can you supply me with the information I need?" asked Tony, who then took a sip of the whiskey.

"I do not know," Omar said then took a drink of whiskey. "I do not know where the suitcase is, but I do know this much. Abdalla wants to punish the West and he wants to still punish his brother."

"Sayif," said Tony. "Where is he?"

"England," said Omar.

"You think your son would kill his brother and make a statement such as exploding a nuke," said Tony.

Omar didn't answer. His eyes looked down at his expensive shoes. The man was deeply saddened by Abdalla's behavior, but that wasn't enough.

"Tens of thousands of people can die here," said Tony. "I need to know where the suitcase is."

"Abdalla wants his brother dead. I think that and the suitcase are connected," said Omar. "It is the best I can offer."

"Okay," sighed Tony.

"It is not much I know," said Omar.

"What are you really going to do with Abdalla?" asked Tony.

"Keep him in a gilded cage," said Omar the he drank more of his whiskey.

NCIS

Scott and Ziva waited for Tony in the hotel restaurant, while he called Vance with an update.

"Omar has Abdalla under guard, sir," said Tony. "He told me he keeping him in a gilded cage."

"_There is no way we can get to him_?" asked Vance.

"No, sir," said Tony. "Prince Omar did say that he believes Sayif is the key. Abdalla still wants to punish his brother."

"_I'm supposed to believe that this bastard buys a nuke suitcase just to kill his brother_," said Vance.

"Yes, sir," said Tony.

"_You follow up on the brother_," said Vance. "_Talk him. See if you can get anything from him_."

"Yes, sir," said Tony.

He hung up the phone then rejoined Ziva and Scott. Ziva could see Tony was upset. She placed her right hand on his left hand and squeezed.

"You look upset," said Ziva.

"Vance said to talk to Sayif. I think we have to do more than talk to him. I think we need to trail him. Abdalla abhors his brother's Western ways," Tony said.

"Boss, if you want to trail Sayif we trail him. I don't care if I get fired I'm willing to do what you think is best," said Scott.

"That is two of us," Ziva said.

"We'll see after we talk to Sayif," he sighed. "It looks like we are off to London."

"London? I can live with that," smiled Scott.

NCIS

Sayif had a suite at the Dorchester Hotel. This included a large living room, a dining room, and a master bedroom and a smaller bedroom. When Tony was able to contact the Prince, he invited Tony over for a drink. With Ziva coming along in a black cocktail dress they purchased for her, Tony wore a black Armani suit. Sayif's bodyguard opened the door and let them into the suite.

"Ah, my friend how is DC?" Sayif asked.

He was sitting on a sofa with two women who looked like fashion models. Sayif looked at his bodyguard.

"Get them a drink," he said.

The bodyguard looked at Tony.

"We both have a scotch neat," said Tony.

He and Ziva sat down in the chairs facing the sofa. Sayif nodded to one of the women, who leaned over and reached for his drink. She handed it to him and he took a sip then handed it back to her.

"You are aware of what your brother did?" Tony asked.

"Purchased a weapon for an absurd amount of money," said Sayif.

"A nuke suitcase from the Russians," said Tony.

"Yes. He is very embarrassing and bad for business. My father is trying to keep it quiet," said Prince Sayif.

"Do you have any ideas where the suitcase might be?" Tony asked him.

"None," he answered.

The guard brought the drinks then disappeared into the spare bedroom.

"Are you worried for your life?" asked Ziva.

Prince Sayif smiled at her. Tony's skin crawled with the smile that Sayif gave Ziva. _Maybe Abdalla has a point. _

"I am taking a cruise from Southampton to New York leaving tomorrow on the Queen Mary II. I intend to keep out of trouble until you find what my brother wishes to unleash," said Sayif.

"A cruise," said Tony.

"An ocean cruise. For some reason as a pilot, it applies to me to spend weeks on the ocean," he smiled.

Tony took a sip of scotch. He needed to talk to Ziva and Scott. He stood up and Ziva did, too.

"Thank you, Prince Sayif," said Tony.

"It was a pleasure to talk to you and your beautiful partner," said Sayif.

They didn't speak until they reached Scott in the rented car. Tony got in the passenger seat and Ziva in the back.

"If I had my knife on me I would have gutted that pig. I did not like the way he looked at me," said Ziva.

"I know, Zi," said Tony.

"Did we learn anything?" asked Scott.

"Sayif is taking a cruise to New York," said Tony.

"I understand why his brother dislikes him," said Ziva.

"How is the security for cruises?" asked Tony.

"Mediocre," said Scott.

Both Ziva and Tony looked at him. Scott smiled.

"I was a Navy Seal and we did do threat assessments. Cruise lines have shitty security," said Scott.

"Could you get the suitcase on a liner?" said Tony.

"Use some thin lead lined paper and a few other things and, yeah, I think you can get the suitcase onto the cruise ship," said Scott.

"Do you think a cruise liner with Sayif on it that is docking in New York would appeal to Abdalla?" asked Tony.

"Yes, but will Vance believe you?" asked Ziva.

"When is the ship leaving?" asked Scott.

"Tomorrow," said Tony.

"The suitcase is already on the ship," said Scott.

"Imagine if it blows up coming into New York," said Tony.

"What are we going to do?" asked Ziva.

"Mind sharing a room with me?" Tony asked her.

"No," she smiled.

"What about me?" asked Scott.

"You can get your own room," said Tony.

"Okay, I'll get my own room," said Scott then he chuckled. "If the suitcase isn't on the ship, Vance is going to fire us."

"I know," sighed Tony.

"A Transatlantic cruise," Ziva smiled. "Sounds like honeymoon to me."

"Don't get any ideas, Agent David," said Tony.

"I have no idea what you mean, Agent DiNozzo," grinned Ziva.

NCIS

The Queen Mary II was an impressive luxury liner capable of a transatlantic. It had fifteen restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, a casino, a ballroom, theatre, a planetarium, and a nursery. The NCIS agents knew that they had a difficult task in trying to find the suitcase and who had it, but Tony knew he would be able to enlist McGee's help once they launch.

Tony and Ziva checked into their room. Their room had a king size bed with a glass sliding door leading to a small balcony. There was also a TV, a sofa, small desk and chair, small armchair, and room to put away their clothes. Once in the room, Tony took out his laptop and booted it.

"I'm going to have McGee check out the passenger list then check it person by person. We need some suspects," said Tony.

As he sat at the desk and worked the computer, Ziva leaned over his shoulder, kissed his cheek, then lay down on the bed and sighed. Tony looked over his shoulder at her. Without saying it with words, she was beckoning him to the bed.

"Zi, I should contact McGee," he said.

"I know," she said softly. "Send him an email explaining everything. I'll just wait here until you are done."

"You are tempting me, aren't you?" he said.

"Tony, we are going on a cruise with a potential nuclear suitcase on it. I'm not tempting you. I am letting you know that we may not survive this, so I intend on spending some time with the man I love just in case," she said.

"That is an excellent point," he said. "Let me write that email and I'll be right with you."

NCIS

McGee opened the email from Tony and immediately started to panic. He couldn't believe Tony, Ziva, and Agent Scott were on the Queen Mary II along with Prince Sayif. Of course, he could believe that Tony had given him a long request of things to do. _Gibbs has to know. _

Getting up, he walked over to Gibbs' desk and stood waiting for his boss to get off the phone. Gibbs looked up and saw McGee waiting. He sighed then hung up.

"Yeah, McGee," he said.

"I just got an email from Tony," McGee said.

"Is this going to piss me off?" asked Gibbs.

"Yes," he answered.

"Follow me," said Gibbs.

McGee followed him to the elevator. They got on it then Gibbs slapped the emergency break. The elevator abruptly stopped.

"Tell me," said Gibbs.

"They are on the Queen Mary II along with Prince Sayif. Tony believes the suitcase is on the ship, which will eventually dock in New York," said McGee.

Gibbs closed his eyes and sighed, "Tell me everything."

"Tony wants me to check the passenger list. He, Ziva, and Agent Scott are waiting for suspects. If I can check the list for any false identities or flagged names, they can check them onboard," said Tony.

"Do what he asks," said Gibbs.

"Should we tell Director Vance?" asked McGee.

Gibbs glared at him, "This is between you and me. Give me whatever you find. I'll talk to DiNozzo."

"Yes, boss," said McGee.

"McGee, make it fast. They don't have too much time to spare," said Gibbs.

"I understand, boss," said McGee.

Gibbs started the elevator up again.

"Do you think they are on the right track, boss?" asked McGee.

"Knowing DiNozzo," Gibbs said, "yes."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Seventeen

Tony, Ziva, and Scott sat at a table in one of the restaurants. Within a sightline sat Prince Sayif with an attractive woman and his bodyguard.

"I put the bug in his stateroom like you asked, boss," said Scott.

"If I had suggested that you would have pointed out that we don't have legal authorization," groused Ziva.

"Well, I figured since we are a little removed from a FISA court that we'd bend the rules a little," replied Tony.

When Scott turned his head to look at an attractive woman, Ziva stuck her tongue out at Tony. He returned the favor. Scott turned his attention back to the table.

"I expect to hear from McGee soon," said Tony.

"Why do we have a bug in his room anyway?" asked Scott.

"Because I think Abdalla will want him to know what is going to happen before it happens," said Tony. "It'll be our last resort plan."

"We'll probably have minutes before the bomb goes off," sighed Ziva.

"When the bomb goes off you know what happens?" asked Scott.

"Retaliation," said Ziva.

"Retaliation, ha," Scott laughed. "It will be simple – let slip the dogs of war. The majority of the people of the United States will want blood and I mean blood. New York nuked. They'll want to turn Iran and Saudi Arabia to glass and the President of the United States will probably have no choice but oblige."

"I think you overstate the case," said Ziva.

"I think I state it perfectly," he smiled. "Oh, after the Muslim world has been bloody more than they thought possible the voices of peace and we are the bad guys will start to be heard, but they be drowned out. Hell, if Bush got on TV a week after 911 and said we are bombing into extinction every country that harbors Al Qaeda terrorists he would have been cheered. Agent David, can I tell you something most people don't realize?"

"Go ahead Agent Scott," she said.

"During the Tet Offensive in 1968, the US won every single battle. The Viet Cong lost every attack. It was the news media that told the US public that we lost. You see that news media counts bodies and shows the public the American ones and makes us feel like a victory is a loss. They forget about the devastation on the other side. The average American, including female, does not like to lose a war. We just don't like it, so we don't lose many," Scott explained. "A nuke in New York, I'd hate to see our reaction."

"If we don't find the suitcase you won't see the reaction, Trevor," said Tony using his first name for a change.

"I know," he sighed.

Scott stood up, "I'm going to walk around and see if I can spot someone suspicious. Until this McGee gets back to us, it's all we can do."

"Keep in touch," said Tony.

Scott strolled away leaving Ziva and Tony alone. Ziva reached over and placed her right hand on top of his left hand.

"Do you think he is right?" she asked.

"Do I think a nuke going off in New York will cause a bloody consequence, probably a more bloody consequence that anyone would want to happen – yes."

"I did not think of that. We need to find this suitcase for the sake of many innocent lives," she said.

"I know," he said. "Let's hope McGee pulls off a miracle."

NCIS

Gibbs was asleep sitting up. It was two in the morning and he decided to stay as long as McGee was at work. McGee had his computer and Gibbs computer working running through the passenger list, checking for red flags, false IDs, and more. While the computers worked, McGee had a laptop out and was checking the crew. He wasn't about to leave anything unchecked. The chances were that Tony was right and he didn't want to see Tony and Ziva blown into the next world. They were his partners and friends.

His laptop got a hit. A Steward named Raymond Bass was a false name. He brought up as much information as he could on this Raymond Bass. The picture of the steward was of a young man with a swarthy complexion. He ran some facial recognition software on the face against all known terrorists, suspects, and no flight list. McGee added the Interpol and MI-5 and MI-6 lists, also.

"Boss, I think I might have something," he said.

Gibbs opened his eyes, "What is it McGee?"

"A steward on the ship, his name is Richard Bass. It's a false name. I'm checking his picture on facial recognition with us, Interpol, MI-5 and MI-6," he explained.

"Good job, Tim," smiled Gibbs. "We might have something here. How long?"

"Couple of hours at least," he said.

"Get some shut eye," Gibbs said. "I'll go get us some coffee and breakfast."

"Okay, boss," smiled McGee.

He pushed back his chair, took his coat, and lay down on the floor. Using the coat as a pillow, he closed his eyes. Gibbs put on his overcoat and came around the desk. He stopped for a moment and looked at McGee. Over the years, he had grown to be very fond of the young man. Just like Abby, DiNozzo, Ducky, Ziva, even Jimmy, they were his family. He had to admit that he was proud of his family.

He smiled and walked towards the elevator.

NCIS

It had been more than three hours when a hit on bass occurred. His real name was Abraham Maloof and he was on the MI-5 and MI-6 Watch list.

"Boss, we have something," McGee said as he ate his bacon and egg sandwich and sipped his coffee.

"What is it?" barked Gibbs.

McGee put it up on the plasma screen. It was a picture of Abraham Maloof.

"This is our steward," said McGee.

"DiNozzo was right," Gibbs smiled.

Next McGee's computer then Gibbs' computer beeped. Gibbs looked at it as if it was broken.

"What do I do?" he asked.

"Nothing, boss, I'll take care of everything," said McGee.

"Do it," Gibbs ordered.

Within twenty minutes, McGee had two passengers to add to Maloof. The first was Mohamed Abu and the second one was Sharif Mazar. Three known terrorists on the ship. Gibbs looked at his watch. It was five am. Just then, the elevator door opened and Leon Vance along with his bodyguard walked off. He walked through the bullpen stopping to look at Gibbs.

"We have something important, Leon," said Gibbs.

"Did you find the case?" asked Vance.

"I think so. Or should I say DiNozzo found it," he said. "McGee put the three on the screen."

Quickly, McGee put on Maloof, Abu, and Mazar. Vance looked at them and nodded.

"Abdalla wanted to punish his Westernized brother Sayif. Sayif is taking a cruise from England to New York," said Gibbs. "The suitcase is on the ship and will be exploded when it reached New York Harbor."

"Damn it, the ship must be in the open sea. Getting a Seal team to it without being seen and on time will be difficult. SecNav won't let that ship reach New York," said Vance.

"We have three people onboard," said Gibbs.

"DiNozzo," sighed Vance.

"Yup. Along with Ziva and Agent Scott, who is a former Seal," said Gibbs.

"I want to talk to DiNozzo," said Vance.

"I do, too," said Gibbs.

Both men looked at McGee.

"We've been emailing, said McGee then he came up with an idea. "I can email Tony the picture of Maloof, Abu, and Mazar, as well as their false information then we can contact the Queen Mary II from MTAC, have them get Tony, and talk to him over the radio."

"If DiNozzo doesn't survive this, you can be his replacement, McGee," said Gibbs with a smirk.

"Even if he does survive it, you can be his new SFA. Agent DiNozzo and I are going to have to have a talk," said Vance.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

"It's a good talk. It's time he took on more responsibility. He's proven he can handle it," said Vance.

"We'll see," said Gibbs.

"You've got to cut the umbilical cord eventually, Gibbs," said Vance.

NCIS

Tony and Ziva had made love for the third time that night and finally fallen asleep. Their lovemaking was a combination of need and desperation. They both knew this might be the last bit of time that they had with each other and they wanted to make up for lost time.

There was a hard knock on the door. Ziva sat up with her gun in her hand, while Tony moaned.

"Who is it?" Ziva called.

"It is Lieutenant Commander Mann," a voice said. "I'm the First Officer of the Queen Mary II."

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Gibbs sends a message: stop breaking rule 12 and get your ass to the radio room, DiNozzo. I am quoting Agent Gibbs," said Mann.

"Shit," sighed Tony. "I'm getting dressed."

Both he and Ziva got dressed in jeans, shirts, and shoes then they opened the door. Standing there in his white uniform was Mann and two men from ship's security.

"Captain Harrow sends his best. After you speak on the radio, he wishes to talk to you over breakfast in his stateroom," said Mann.

"Sure," said Tony.

Ten minutes later Tony and Ziva found themselves in the radio room. The communication officer handed him a headset then Tony spoke up.

"Hi, boss," he said.

"_You were right, DiNozzo_," said Gibbs. "_We have some names and faces for you_."

"I hate being right sometimes," he said.

"_McGee sent you an email with their photos, real names, and fake names and ship info_," said Gibbs. "_You need to take them down and secure the suitcase_."

"I got you, boss," said Tony.

"_Agent DiNozzo, I don't remember giving you permission to take a cruise_," said Vance over the radio.

Tony made a 'I fucked up face' to Ziva, who wanted to laugh.

"No, sir, you didn't. I took some initiative," said Tony.

"_We'll talk when you get back_," said Vance. "_Get the case, DiNozzo_."

"_What's your plan_?" asked Gibbs.

"I'll let you know as soon as I have one," said Tony.

NCIS

Ziva, Tony, and a rousted out of bed Scott sat at the Captain's table in his stateroom having a hearty breakfast. Harrow wanted to know only one thing – what were Tony, Ziva, and Scott going to do.

"I do have an idea what to do and when to do, but I'll need some of your security to be involved," said Tony.

"A few of my security men are ex-Royal Marines," he said. "I think they can handle what you need done."

"They might have to use deadly force," said Tony.

"Then they will use deadly force," said Harrow, who then looked at Ziva. "May I freshen up your Irish Breakfast tea?"

"Yes, Captain," she smiled.

"Ms. David, I can't believe someone as lovely as you is in such a dangerous job," Harrow flirted.

"Well, this is actually less dangerous than my last job," she smiled.

Tony rolled his eyes.

NCIS

The plan was simple. The two ex-Royal Marines would take the steward done while he slept. Ziva and Tony would take Mazar, who was probably in charge, and Scott would take Abu. They had it synchronized to occur at one in the morning with the assumption the men would be asleep.

With his cane in one hand and his Glock in the other, Tony and Ziva waited outside of Mazar's stateroom door waiting to get the okay from Scott and the two marines. They were able to borrow headset that allowed them to communicate with each other. It seemed that the show in the theatre used the headsets for set changes and other stage manager work.

Tony stared at Ziva and she stared back. In the room were a terrorist and probably a nuke suitcase. Tony wished she wasn't there.

"Ready," he heard Scott say into the headset.

"Ready," one of the marines said.

He inhaled. They would go when he said go. He leaned his cane against the wall and took his gun in two hands.

"Go!" he called.

Ziva kicked open the door and was the first in the room. Tony followed. She fired a shot at Mazar, who attempted to shot her, as he slept with a gun. It was a shoulder wound.

"Status," he said into the headset.

"Abu is dead," said Scott.

"We have Maloof," said the marine.

Tony turned on the light while Ziva kept a gun on Mazar, who had a smile on his face. This scared Tony.

"Why are you smiling?" asked Tony.

Mazar held up a remote. Ziva looked at the silver metal suitcase on the chair.

"Check it," he said as he kept his gun on Mazar.

Carefully, Ziva opened it. The timer was counting down. It was now at 9:30 seconds.

"It is counting down," she said. "I can try to disarm it."

"No," said Tony. "Close it and put your gun on him."

She was going to argue but she could tell from his tone of voice he was going to listen. He put his gun away and then spoke into the headset.

"Trevor, I need a rope and something heavy," he said. "Meet me on deck near Mazar's room and be fast."

"You got it, boss," said Scott.

"Marine, tell the captain to full speed ahead with the ship," said Tony.

"Yes, sir," he heard the answer.

Tony picked up the case, gave Ziva a kiss on the cheek, and said, "You mind him and I'll take care of this."

"But…," she started.

"No. This is my job," he said.

With a bit of limp he was out of the room. The commotion drew some of the people out of their rooms.

"Make a hole. I have a bomb," he yelled and people got out of his way.

With a great effort Tony made it out to the ship's railing as fast as he could. His plan was to toss the nuke in the ocean. He wanted to weight it down more though, so it got some serious depth before going off. Hearing a moan, he saw Scott with a rope and carrying two large red fire extinguishers.

"I read your mind, boss," he said. "Since I'm a Seal let me do the tying and the knots."

"Sure, but do it quickly," Tony said.

Scott got to work. He tied everything together in the blue darkness of the night and secured it with an anchor knot the he lifted everything up and tossed it over the railing into the churning wake of the ship.

"We are about to kill a lot of fish," said Scott.

"Think I'll get in trouble?" smiled Tony.

"Yeah, with Greenpeace," Scott said.

They waited for the explosion hoping it would wait until the ship was out of danger. Scott looked at him and said, "We better hang on to the railing."

Tony grabbed the railing like Scott when suddenly it seemed like the ocean burped a giant white wake of waves and chaos. The ship had gotten far enough away that it rode the rough surface with rogue waves at least twenty feet tall or more. Both men got soaked.

When the ship finally calmed down, Scott was laughing. Tony looked at him.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"That was one hell of a ride," Scott said.

Tony had to laugh.

Epilogue

Ziva, Scott, McGee, Abby, Ducky, Jimmy, and Gibbs waited for Tony. He was in the Director's office with Vance, the SecNav, and a representative from the White House. It had been going on an hour and half so far.

"They won't fire him, will they, Gibbs?" asked Abby.

"If they do then I am retiring," said Gibbs.

"Me, too," added Ducky.

"I think we would all leave," said Ziva.

The White House people finally left. They didn't seem angry, which was a positive.

"Well, so far so good," said Gibbs.

Twenty minutes a happy looking SecNav left walking past the bullpen. Everyone started to relax. Ten minutes, Tony and Director Vance appeared coming down the stairs. Each man was smiling.

"I'd say he didn't get fired," said Gibbs.

They came into the bullpen.

"I guess you want to hear about what he discussed," said Vance.

"Yes," said Ziva.

"Well, Agent DiNozzo did get yelled at for taking risks and not keeping enough people in the loop, but then it was decided that no reprimand would appear in his file. Instead we have decided to start an anti-terrorism unit in DC and Agent DiNozzo will be the Special Agent in Charge and he gets to pick his own team," said Vance with a smile.

"SAC DiNozzo," Gibbs said, "well done."

"Yes, well done, Anthony," said Ducky.

Abby gave him a hug, followed by handshakes from Scott, McGee, and Jimmy. Finally, Tony faced Ziva.

"You get to pick your own team," said Ziva.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to work with Agent DiNozzo, Agent David," said Vance.

"Why not?" asked Ziva.

"Tell her, DiNozzo," said Vance.

"I'm sorry, Ziva, but husbands and wives aren't allowed to work together," he said.

It took a moment for Ziva to comprehend what he has said but when she realized it, she threw herself into his arms and kissed.

"Yes, I will marry you," she said.

Gibbs sighed, as the bullpen exploded in congratulations and hugs. Vance finally brought order back to the room.

"I've been asked by Deputy Director David that the wedding takes place in Israel," said Vance, "but it's your choice. I hope it is in DC so I can go to the wedding."

"Ziva, it's up to you," said Tony.

"I want to be married with my family around me," she said.

Abby moaned in disappointment. Ziva looked at her.

"Abby, my family is here," Ziva smiled.

"We are having a wedding here?" asked Abby.

"Ken, yes," said Ziva.

Gibbs pulled Tony aside and said softly, "You take care of her and never hurt her."

"Or you'll kick my ass, right, boss?" said Tony.

Gibbs patted the back of his head instead of giving him a slap.

"That's my boy," Gibbs smiled.


End file.
